Presenteeism among healthcare professionals in a hospital setting: a scoping review

Objective:  to map the prevalence of presenteeism among healthcare professionals in the hospital environment, identify related factors, consequences for patient safety and worker health, as well as the interventions used.

Method:  scoping review based on the recommendations of the JBI Reviewer’s Manual, including studies available in full in five databases, with no time or language restrictions.

Results:  31 selected articles showed a high prevalence of presenteeism among healthcare professionals in the hospital setting, and the main related factors were illnesses (depression and infections), occupational aspects (work overload), and organizational aspects (lack of support from colleagues). The consequences for worker health were worsening health, stress, fatigue/exhaustion, and impairment of work capacity, while for patient safety, there was an increased risk of infections and clinical errors. Few studies have reported interventions, such as occupational wellness centers. The consequences also impacted economic aspects with loss of productivity and higher healthcare costs.

Conclusion:  the prevalence of presenteeism among healthcare professionals in the hospital setting is high and constitutes a multifactorial phenomenon with negative consequences for individuals, organizations, and patients. The study includes a multidimensional analysis of presenteeism and can serve as a reference for establishing hospital organizational health policies and programs. Multidimensional analysis of presenteeism can contribute to the establishment of organizational health policies and programs in hospitals. Given the scarcity of intervention studies, it is necessary to advance knowledge on the subject The research protocol is available on the Open Science Framework platform: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/GVNX3.

Descriptors:
Hospitals; Presenteeism; Occupational Health; Health Management; Health Personnel; Scoping Review

(1) Presenteeism is a prevalent and multifactorial phenomenon among healthcare professionals in hospital settings. (2) Presenteeism contributes to the worsening of chronic diseases, stress, fatigue, and reduced work capacity. (3) In the organizational context, it compromises productivity, increases direct and indirect healthcare costs. (4) Negatively impacts patient safety, with a higher risk of errors and the spread of infections. (5) Intervention studies are needed to advance knowledge on this topic.