Work of nurses in Primary Health Care in the Federal District, Brazil: the context of the covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

To describe the challenges faced by nurses working in Primary Health Care in the Federal District, considering the context of the covid-19 pandemic. Cross-sectional observational research of a qualitative nature, conducted within the scope of the Federal District from April to December 2021. The study population consisted of nurses working in Primary Health Care for at least three years. For the sample, seven nurses were selected, one in each Health Region. Professionals who had employment contracts, were on vacation, sick leave or temporarily away from their activities were excluded. The selected professionals participated in interviews based on a semi-structured script. For data processing, the NVivo software was used. Bardin’s thematic content analysis was adopted. The interviewed professionals presented a reality of challenges in the search for the reorganization of work dynamics in the context of the covid-19 pandemic, highlighting issues related to the workforce and difficulties inherent in the management of human resources and other problems experienced. There was a constant need to invert the management model of the teams’ agenda, acting strongly on strategies and meeting spontaneous demand, especially for patients with respiratory symptoms. Some challenges that already existed in the daily lives of nurses have increased considerably during the pandemic, for example the shortage of professionals; poor infrastructure; unavailable materials; work overload; difficulty in accessing and adapting teams to personal protective equipment; and the need for qualification in the insertion of new practices and technologies in daily work.