Abstract

MACHADO, Jorge Mesquita Huet  and  CORREA, Marilena Villela. The concept of life at work in the analyses of work process and health at hospitals. Inf. Epidemiol. Sus [online]. 2002, vol.11, n.3, pp.159-166. ISSN 0104-1673.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5123/S0104-16732002000300006.

The main issue of this paper is a methodological discussion regarding the need of studying more deeply a fundamental aspect of occupational health: the relation between the work process and health. Reflections about the work at hospitals are discussed considering the complexity of human nature and its peculiar characteristics. Life concepts in the work environment as well as specific situations that help to reconstruct the work process at hospital sites are presented. The theoretical and methodological advances observed were: introduction of the concept of life at work in the work process analysis; inclusion of the concept of descriptive situations and symmetrical anthropology in work process analysis; and the inclusion of some of Foucault’s conceptual tools to describe the work process (spatial distribution, control of actions, follow-up of people with respect to hierarchy, registration of the process to classify, judge, measure, and reallocate the people; and stratify the work process based on the nature of the activities)

Keywords : Occupational Health; Hospital Occupation; Working Life.

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