Appreciation and motivation of nurses from the perspective of work humanization in hospitals

Abstract

This study aimed at identifying the perception of nurses regarding the appreciation of their work and professional motivation. It consists of a qualitative study of descriptive character, developed between March and May 2011, with twelve nurses from a teaching hospital in the south of Brazil. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and verification was performed through thematic analysis. The themes were established based on the parameters for humanization of work contained in the National Policy of Hospital Care Humanization, regarding the appreciation of work and professional motivation: respect, acknowledgement, satisfaction and professional achievement. Results were analyzed under the perspective of humanization policies and the studies of Dejours, and indicated that nurses experience a conflict with the values and commitments of their work, which generates professional dissatisfaction. The presence of the studied parameters produces self-achievement and its absence is understood as work dehumanization.

Descriptors: Nursing; Humanization of Assistance; Working Conditions; Motivation; Hospitals.