DESCRIBING THE ENGAGEMENT IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE NURSES

Abstract

In the Chilean primary health care system, there are some nurses who, despite having a high work overload, a difficult work environment and scarce resources, continue to working with great passion and energy. This phenomenon is explained by the construct of “Engagement”. However, despite the importance of this phenomenon, it has not been deeply studied in our country, especially in the context of Primary Health Care (PHC) nursing. Objective: This study aims to describe the manifestation of Engagement in nurses working in PHC centers located at the municipality of San Pedro de la Paz, Chile in 2012. Method: This is a qualitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study with a phenomenological approach, which uses a strategy of multiple case analyses. Sample was selected via sampling intensity. Three nurses with a long professional history, which were identified as Engagement professionals by the headquarters and staff of the health centers, were selected. Results: During the research, it was found that these nurses have, mainly, a great need to help other people, which they satisfy through their profession, showing highly motivated behaviors and experiencing intense positive emotions during the contact with patients. Conclusion: This study provides important evidence about the existence of Engagement in our environment, hypothesizing that these nurses understand their profession as meaningful, as part of their identity, and where they meet their need to help others, appreciating the affective bond with PHC users as the main strategy