[Work overload in the perception of nurses working at hospitals]. / A sobrecarga de trabalho na percepção de enfermeiras que trabalham em hospital.

This article presents the first part of a qualitative research in which we interviewed ten nurses that were burnout with work and ten that were not. The objective was to comprehend how they experience burnout situations. The interviews were analysed according to Content Analysis Technique. The "overload of work" category was the most frequent in the participants' speeches. All the nurses with burnout made reference to this category about tem times, while relating the situations they consider to cause burnout. In the other hand, nurses without burnout only related to it once or twice. The overload of work appears as a consequence of "accumulated functions" on their daily activities and from the consequent "time pressure" they suffer. The speeches reflect the nurse's work organization which, frequently, is difficult to practice in a strict way, leading some professionals to make decisions sometimes considered contradictory.

[Stress related to administrative tasks in nursing]. / O estresse na atividade gerencial do enfermeiro.

According to several studies, nursing, especially in hospital settings, is one of the most stressful professions. The objective of this study was to identify the sources of stress related to the administrative tasks of nurses working in a hospital, as well as the main health changes that stress caused these professionals. The quantitative survey was carried out in 1996 with a sample of 207 nurses at a university hospital in the city of Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A questionnaire was used to collect data on stress sources and symptoms. The questionnaire also gathered demographic data, as well as information on the nurses' feelings about their working conditions. The average age of the study participants was 35.8 years, and the average time working at the hospital was 8.5 years. Among participants, 48% were considered to be stressed. Work overload was the stress source that best predicted relative risk of stress (6.1). In terms of stress symptoms, the most commonly reported ones were cardiovascular changes. However, gastrointestinal changes were related to a higher risk of stress (5.3). Managing other staff was the stress source that had the greatest number of significant correlations with stress symptoms. On the other hand, immunologic changes were the symptoms that had the highest correlation with stress sources. Our results suggest that stress related to administrative tasks in nursing may trigger changes in nurses' health.

[Professional fatigue: a review of literature and implications for nurses]. / O desgaste profissional: uma revisão da literatura e implicações para a enfermeira.

The objective of this paper is to present literature revision of the factors which contribute to the professional hospital nurse fatigue. Burnout Syndrome, which is specific of the professionals who work directly with clients, like the hospital nurses, was chosen as a focus of study. The Burnout Syndrome is characterized by three fundamental symptoms: the sentiment of emotional fatigue, personal withdrawal and the reduction of professional achievement. In addition, the main associate variables were studied, and grouped in three categories: personal, organization and the work structure variables.

[Professional fatigue: empirical study with hospital nurses]. / O desgaste profissional: estudo empírico com enfermeiras que trabalham em hospitais.

This is a empirical approach about professional fatigue of the hospital nurse. The fatigue concept was based on the Burnout Syndrome and some hospital variables associated. The sample consisted of 341 nurses of whom demographic data is available. Results of the application of the psychometric analysis of Burnout Inventory, as well as statistic correlation between the three scales and demographic data are presented. Considerable presence of emotional exhaustion and cognitive weariness as a consequence of the working atmosphere in the hospital critical sectors and the nursing chief responsibility were found.

[Systemic arterial hypertension: clinical aspects and aspects of care]. / Hipertensão arterial sistêmica: aspectos clínicos e assistenciais.

This article is a literature review about the concepts of systemic arterial hypertension, it's incidence, the diagnostic methods and used treatments. It emphasizing the nurse's role in the patients care, based on the authors' nursing practice at Hospital de Clínicas Porto Alegre. The authors describe measures to prevent and promote health, as well as advanced actions during hypertension crisis and emergency cases.

[You and your plaster cast--educating for health]. / Você e seu gesso--educando para a saúde.

The study was developed in order to give patients carrying a plaster cast orientation into self-care. The authors supported their work on pre-existing works on the same theme. They point to Education for health as a means for health professionals to prevent problems arising from misinformation to people under medical attendance.