Assessment of indicators and experiences of pain and pleasure in family health teams based on the Psychodynamics of Work.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate indicators and experiences of pain and pleasure among workers of the family health teams based on the theoretical and methodological framework Psychodynamics of Work.

METHOD: This is a mixed-method study with 153 workers from the multiprofessional family health team of 12 health units in Porto Alegre. All the participants answered the Pleasure and Pain in the Workplace Scale ("EIPST") between September and November 2011 and 68 also participated in the collective interviews between October and December 2012. Quantitative data were submitted to descriptive and analytical statistics, and qualitative data were subjected to content analysis.

RESULTS: The indicators professional achievement (4.22 ± 1.3), freedom of expression (4.21 ± 1.17) and recognition (1.80 ± 1.51) were considered satisfactory by the workers. The indicator professional exhaustion had a moderate result (3.33 ± 1.44). Pleasure at work was linked to professional achievement with autonomy, freedom, and creativity. Lack of recognition and work overload were related to institutional, personal and community issues, and considered sources of suffering in the workplace.

CONCLUSIONS: Pleasure at work for the studied teams was associated with freedom of expression, achievement, and professional recognition, and pain was related to professional exhaustion and work overload.