Analysis of the economic impact of absenteeism in a public hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

With the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of healthcare professionals became ill and were away from work. This study aimed to estimate the cost of these absences in a Brazilian public hospital and helped to identify the flaws in work processes that led to absenteeism. It is a partial, descriptive, retrospective, quantitative economic evaluation, with data collected from medical records, on the direct costs of sick leave. The sample consisted of 793 employees and 2.166 medical certificate records, from March to December 2020. It was observed that: the total cost of leaves was R$ 2.603.017,95. Viral diseases represented the highest cost, followed by problems related to mental health. Nursing technicians were the professionals who caused the greatest impact on sick leave (27.21%). Therefore, the research generated important indicators to guide managers in resource allocation and decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic.