Nursing staff absences in the emergency room of a university hospital

Objective: To verify and analyze absences of nursing staff of the adult emergency room (AER) of a university hospital. Methods: A study using a quantitative approach, observational and prospective, conducted between January and December, 2009, involving the nursing staff of a AER. Results: The AER had, on average, 96.8 employees per month. Expected absences corresponded to 30.1% of working days. The absenteeism rate was 11.7%. There was a greater incidence of unplanned absences during the periods of May (15.3%) and August (13.3%). Conclusion: There was a correlation between the variables: professional category, employment contract and shift work, and the distribution of expected and unexpected absences. Absenteeism was considered high and motivated, mainly, by allowances for health care greater than 15 days. The monthly deficit of staff also contributed to the work overload of the team.