[Nursing absenteeism: experience with workers at a teaching hospital].

The nursing work conditions are surrounded by physical and chemical risks that result in a high number of absences as well as leaves. The purpose of this study was to characterize the absences of nursing workers from a University Hospital located in the city of São José do Rio Preto-SP during the year of 1999. This is a census epidemiological investigation. Data were collected from registries of the Hospital Workers' Attendance Center. Results showed that 333 workers were involved in 662 episodes of absences during this period. Sick leaves of nurses, nursing technicians and auxiliaries occurred mainly due to genitourinary tract disorders and other diseases. With respect to nursing aids, the causes of absences were: disturbances in sensory organs, infectious parasitic and respiratory diseases. These data enabled a better analysis of that hospital's environment as well as the improvement of these professionals' work conditions.