Labor rights and well-being of healthcare workers in times of COVID-19
Keywords:
Labor rights, working conditions, labor policies, mental health, job satisfaction, workers' health.Abstract
Introduction: Healthcare workers played a fundamental role by becoming the first line of defense against the health emergency. However, their work was marked by adverse conditions that seriously compromised their physical and emotional well-being, as well as their labor rights.
Objective: To determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labor rights and well-being of the healthcare personnel.
Material and Methods: A systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA methodology in the scientific databases SCOPUS, PubMed, and Web of Science. The study variables were: main impacts on labor rights; the physical, emotional, and psychosocial impacts on healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic; and the institutional measures or labor policies that have been implemented to protect the rights and promote the well-being of healthcare personnel.
Results: An impact on the labor rights of healthcare personnel was found during the COVID-19 pandemic. Work overload, extended shifts, insufficient personal protective equipment, and precarious contracts emerged as common patterns in the 33 studies analyzed. From the perspective of emotional and psychosocial impact, the data show a clear intensification of disorders such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and chronic burnout, recurring elements in most of the articles reviewed.
Conclusions: Among the main impacts on labor rights, work overload, lack of personal protective equipment, extended workdays, and contractual instability stood out. These conditions not only violated minimum labor standards but also intensified existing inequalities.
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