OVERLOAD AND ITS NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON NURSING PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze work overload among nursing professionals, emphasizing its psychosocial impacts and effects on care quality. An integrative literature review was conducted, including publications from 2019 to 2025, selected from LILACS, MEDLINE, and BDENF databases through the Virtual Health Library (VHL). After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, ten studies were analyzed. The findings revealed that work overload is closely linked to physical and emotional exhaustion, increased clinical errors, and decreased job satisfaction. Structural factors such as staff shortages, long shifts, and limited institutional support intensify the risk of burnout and mental illness. It is concluded that valuing nursing professionals requires humanized management strategies, institutional psychological support policies, and adequate working conditions to ensure both emotional sustainability and care safety.