A nurse bearing the burden of a healthcare system, light radiating towards communities.

Overwhelmed in Healthcare? Unveiling Nursing Workloads and the Path to Universal Access

Reese Marlowe in Health & Wellness June 2025 • 4 min read.

"Discover how optimized nursing roles can transform family health strategies and ensure healthcare for everyone."

Universal access to healthcare remains a global aspiration, now highlighted in the discussions surrounding the post-2015 millennium development goals. But access isn't just about providing services; it's about ensuring justice, equity, and the ability to meet diverse health needs comprehensively. This requires a keen understanding of the roles and conditions of those who deliver care.

Healthcare is a service industry built on human connections and collaborative effort. The conditions under which healthcare professionals operate profoundly influence the quality of care provided. Recognizing this, organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasize the critical importance of the healthcare workforce in achieving universal health coverage.

In Brazil, the National Unified Health System (SUS) champions the principle of universality. The Family Health Strategy (FHS) plays a pivotal role, expanding access to services. However, challenges persist in ensuring equitable and comprehensive care for all. This article explores the workloads of nursing professionals within the FHS and their impact on achieving true universal access.

The Weight of Work: Understanding Nursing Workloads in Family Health

A nurse bearing the burden of a healthcare system, light radiating towards communities.

A qualitative study was conducted across the South, Central-West, and North regions of Brazil, focusing on nursing professionals within the Family Health Strategy (FHS). This research aimed to identify the specific workloads these professionals face and how these workloads impact the effectiveness of providing universal access to healthcare.

The study employed a comprehensive approach, gathering data through semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and observations. Researchers associated the software Atlas.ti and Thematic Content Analysis. Twenty-three nursing professionals participated, including nurses, nursing technicians, and assistants, ensuring a diverse perspective on the challenges encountered.

Excessive Demand: Participants frequently reported an overwhelming number of patients and responsibilities, stretching their capacity to provide adequate care.
Infrastructural Deficiencies: Many faced challenges due to inadequate physical infrastructure in their units, hindering their ability to perform tasks efficiently.
Care Network Failures: Systemic issues and failures within the broader care network created obstacles, preventing the FHS from functioning as an effective primary strategy.
Administrative Overload: A significant amount of time was consumed by administrative tasks, diverting attention from direct patient care.
Low Pay and Excessive Hours: Many felt that their compensation did not match their workload.

However, it's not all negative. The study highlighted several factors that helped mitigate workloads: teamwork, a genuine connection with patients, and the effectiveness of the care provided. These elements underscore the importance of a supportive and patient-centered approach.

Investing in Solutions: Reducing Workloads, Improving Access

The study concludes that strategic investments aimed at reducing nursing workloads are essential for enhancing the effectiveness of the Family Health Strategy and achieving universal access to healthcare. This includes changes to working conditions, improved management practices, and addressing systemic issues within the care network. By focusing on these key areas, healthcare systems can better support nursing professionals, ensuring they can provide high-quality, accessible care to all.

About this Article -

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Everything You Need To Know

What is the Family Health Strategy (FHS) and its role in healthcare?

The Family Health Strategy (FHS) is a key component of Brazil's National Unified Health System (SUS). It's designed to expand access to healthcare services. The FHS is crucial for achieving universal health coverage by focusing on primary care and community-based services, though the study shows that this strategy faces challenges to ensure equitable and comprehensive care for all, particularly due to nursing workloads.

What specific challenges do nursing professionals face within the Family Health Strategy (FHS)?

Nursing professionals within the FHS encounter various challenges, as highlighted by the study. These include excessive demand due to a high patient load, infrastructural deficiencies in their work units, failures within the broader care network, an overload of administrative tasks, and issues related to low pay and excessive working hours. These factors directly impact their ability to provide adequate patient care, and, in turn, the effectiveness of the FHS itself.

How does the healthcare workforce influence the achievement of universal health coverage, according to the World Health Organization?

The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes the critical importance of the healthcare workforce in achieving universal health coverage. This recognition is based on the understanding that the conditions under which healthcare professionals operate directly impact the quality of care provided. This includes factors such as workload, infrastructure, and administrative burden which all affect the ability of the healthcare workforce to deliver effective and accessible care, which is vital for universal health coverage.

Besides the challenges, what positive elements were identified in the study regarding nursing workloads?

The study identified several factors that helped mitigate nursing workloads and improve the quality of care provided. These include teamwork among healthcare professionals, a genuine connection with patients, and the effectiveness of the care provided, indicating that a supportive and patient-centered approach can positively influence the experience of nursing professionals within the FHS.

What strategic investments are recommended to reduce nursing workloads and improve access to healthcare, particularly within the context of the Family Health Strategy (FHS)?

The study recommends strategic investments in several areas to reduce nursing workloads and enhance the effectiveness of the Family Health Strategy (FHS). These include changes to working conditions to improve support for nursing professionals, improved management practices to streamline operations, and addressing systemic issues within the care network to ensure a more efficient system. Addressing these areas can ensure nursing professionals can provide high-quality, accessible care, thereby improving the chances of achieving universal access to healthcare.