The role of primary care nurses in the care of agricultural workers exposed to pesticide use: integrative review

Abstract

Introduction: Nurses working in Primary Care are essential for the management of care for rural workers exposed to the use of pesticides. Objective: The scientific evidence on the performance of Primary Health Care nurses in the care of rural workers exposed to the use of pesticides was described. Methods: this is an integrative review, registered in Figshare, using the question: what is the scientific evidence on the performance of Primary Health Care Nurses in the care of rural workers exposed to the use of pesticides? The inclusion criteria were: primary studies that answered the guiding question, in Portuguese, English and Spanish, and covered the cut-off period from 2012 to 2024. The searches were carried out in the following information sources: LILACS, PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science and Cinahl with descriptors and alternative terms/synonyms, such as nursing, rural workers, agrochemicals, among others, both selected in the Science and Health Descriptors, Medical Subject Headings and Cinahl Subject Headings, in addition to keywords, such as rural work and insecticides. The Endnote and Rayyan software were used, maintaining blinding between two reviewers, with the assistance of a third reviewer in cases of conflicts. In addition, the Classification of Levels of Evidence and assessment of methodological quality were carried out. Results: A total of 800 studies were found, 21 were fully evaluated, and finally, seven were included. They were published from 2012 onwards and in English and/or Portuguese, with levels of evidence IV and VI, and four thematic categories were developed. Conclusion: It is concluded that the role of nurses in Primary Health Care is essential in the care of rural workers. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence, requiring further research.