Biblioteca Virtual en Salud Enfermería

There are few studies on occupational hazards in primary care. The greatest evidence corresponds to the hospital environment, though the performance and working environment of the professionals is different. Thus, the objective of the study was: to describe the perception of occupational hazard and self-care of nurses in primary health care of a commune of the Biobío Region.

METHODOLOGY:

Correlational and descriptive study. An intentional sampling was conducted, obtaining a final sample of 28 nurses. The instrument measured the perception of occupational hazard, self-care, sociodemographic and work characteristics. It was self-administered prior informed consent. Results indicate that half of the professionals perceive a medium level of work risk, whereas the others describe a medium and high risk in equal proportion, recognizing at least a risk at work. Additional risks were described, such as violence, crime and drug addiction. There is no significant relation between occupational risk perception and self-care. On the contrary, the perception of risk was associated to a preventive behavior. There is no significant relation between occupational hazard perception and self-care. On the contrary, the perception of risk was associated to a preventive behavior. A high self-care agency is reported, though this is low in behaviors related to physical workout, care and time for him/her. The conclusion guides variables that could be included in an evaluation instrument. These might be useful for the diagnosis of risk perception and detection of training and improvement needs of the professionals in occupational and personal self-care.