[The meanings of working in intensive care units of two Brazilian hospitals]. / Os significados do trabalho em unidades de terapia intensiva de dois hospitais brasileiros.

Health workers working in Intensive Care Units experience complex situations where there is suffering due to patients suffering, among other factors. This article aimed to verify the meanings and the satisfaction arising from the work of 80 ICU employees at a public hospital from Santa Catarina and a private one from Rio de Janeiro. For data collection, questionnaires and interviews were used and the analysis was made by descriptive statistics. It is noteworthy that the meanings of working at the ICUs researched varied around the notion of social contribution and responsibility and/or exchange. Social relations at work were shown as a central dimension for most of the individuals. Most of them consider working not as something negative, but as one of the most important item of their lives, surpassing even the idea of the payment that it originates. It was observed that the understanding of the meanings assigned to work is an essential factor to achieve the emotional balance of workers at hospitals and to understand the conditioning causes of possible disruptions of this balance, which is a crucial factor for the promotion of mental health and life quality at work.

Os significados do trabalho em unidades de terapia intensiva de dois hospitais brasileiros / The meanings of working in intensive care unities of two Brazilian hospitals

Profissionais de saúde que trabalham em unidades de terapia intensiva (UTI) vivenciam situações complexas, em que há sofrimento decorrente do sofrimento alheio, além de outros fatores. Este artigo propôs-se a verificar os significados e a satisfação advinda do trabalho de 80 funcionários de UTI de um hospital público catarinense e de um privado fluminense. Para a coleta de dados, utilizaram-se questionários e entrevistas. Para a análise, estatística descritiva. Pode-se ressaltar que os significados do trabalho nas UTI pesquisadas orbitam em torno da noção de contribuição social e também no âmbito da responsabilidade e/ou troca. As relações sociais no trabalho se mostraram como uma dimensão central para a maioria dos pesquisados. A maior parte deles considera o trabalho não como algo negativo, mas como um dos itens mais importantes de suas vidas, ultrapassando até mesmo a ideia de remuneração dele advinda. Pôde-se observar que a compreensão dos significados atribuídos ao trabalho é uma variável essencial para se alcançar o equilíbrio emocional dos trabalhadores nos nosocômios, bem como para se entender as causas condicionantes de eventuais rompimentos deste equilíbrio, fator crucial para a promoção da saúde mental e qualidade de vida no trabalho.

Health workers working in Intensive Care Unities experience complex situations where there is suffering due to patients suffering, among other factors. This article aimed to verify the meanings and the satisfaction arising from the work of 80 ICU employees at a public hospital from Santa Catarina and a private one from Rio de Janeiro. For data collection, questionnaires and interviews were used and the analysis was made by descriptive statistics. It is noteworthy that the meanings of working at the ICUs researched varied around the notion of social contribution and responsibility and/or exchange. Social relations at work were shown as a central dimension for most of the individuals. Most of them consider working not as something negative, but as one of the most important item of their lives, surpassing even the idea of the payment that it originates. It was observed that the understanding of the meanings assigned to work is an essential factor to achieve the emotional balance of workers at hospitals and to understand the conditioning causes of possible disruptions of this balance, which is a crucial factor for the promotion of mental health and life quality at work.