EFEITOS NEGATIVOS DA EXPOSIÇÃO OCUPACIONAL DE PROFISSIONAIS DE SAÚDE AO SARS-COV-2: UMA REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA DE LITERATURAREVISÃO

Abstract

Introduction: Health care workers are more vulnerable in context of the SARS-CoV- 2 pandemic due the work activity performed those they have contact with pacient, as the occupational exposure produce negative consequences for some, including infection, psychological impact and skin lesions. Methods: This is an integrative literature review. To substantiate it, bibliographic research was carried out in the PubMed and LILACS databases, using descriptors such as “occupational exposure”, “COVID-19” and “health professionals”. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were chosen in order to select primary studies. Results: After analyzing 15 primary studies, it was observed that the exposure to the virus among health workers is about 80.4%, representing a rate 4 times higher than in other workers. In addition, it was noticed that, among health workers, skin lesions represented a percentage of 42.8% to 97%. Also, feelings of anguish, fear, stress, anxiety were noted in the population studied, in wich female professionals and physicians who are working in frony line are mosted vulnerable. Conclusion: health professionals are overexposed to the SARS-COV-2 virus, due to the direct contact they have with contaminated biological materials, which results in high infection rates. This fact added to the number of deaths, lack of treatment, and strenuous workload had a negative impact on the mental health of the studied group. Furthermore, the frequent and prolonged use of PPE caused skin lesions in professionals. This fact is reflected negatively on the performance of daily activities inside and outside the hospital environment.