Abstract

CASALS VILLA, Maura  and  HERRERA SANCHEZ, Rita. Caracterización del trabajo de enfermería durante una epidemia de dengue. Rev Cubana Enfermer [online]. 2004, vol.20, n.1, pp. 1-1. ISSN 1561-2961.

The function of the health personnel in the face of a dengue patient is to keep the so-called intensive physiological treatment in which the fundamental thing is the close surveillance until the patient stabilizes. A cross-sectional descriptive research work was performed in "Pedro Kourí" Institute of Tropical Medicine to characterize, from the working viewpoint, the nursing work during the dengue epidemics in 2002. A survey was administered that allowed characterizing, among others, the professional level, knowledge and experience of the staff and to inquiry on the labor organization and the workload. The following results were obtained: the professional level did not considerably influence the preparation shown in the sample; there were shortage of personnel and of resources as saline solution holders, conflicts between the assistance and the bureaucratic activities or those activities not inherent to the profession. It was not possible to document the nursing care process with the required quality in emergency situations. It was highly important, as a stress-modulating factor, the social recognition that, even in extreme workload situations, increased dedication and sacrifice in the face of any individual problem as an expression of the collective relevance of their actions.

Keywords : DENGUE HEMORRAGICO FEVER; NURSING CARE; EPIDEMIOLOGY; DESCRIPTIVE; CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES..