Abstract
Precarious work is a multidimensional phenomenon characterized by fragile employment relationships, occupational insecurity, insufficient remuneration, reduced social protection, outsourcing, contractual instability, work intensification, and deterioration of working conditions. In the healthcare sector, these characteristics are particularly relevant because professionals perform activities marked by high responsibility, permanent contact with suffering, illness and death, emotional demands, long working hours, and the need for rapid decision-making. This article aims to analyze the relationship between precarious work and illness among healthcare professionals, considering the physical, psychological, social, and organizational repercussions arising from working conditions. This is a narrative literature review with a qualitative and descriptive-analytical approach, based on national and international scientific studies and documents related to occupational health. The literature demonstrates that employment instability, low wages, multiple jobs, work overload, insufficient staffing, lack of professional recognition, productivity pressure, and fragile institutional conditions may contribute to occupational stress, exhaustion, sleep disorders, psychological distress, burnout, anxiety, depressive symptoms, musculoskeletal disorders, and intention to leave employment. It is concluded that illness among healthcare professionals should not be interpreted exclusively as an individual problem of adaptation or resilience, since it is significantly related to the organization and concrete conditions of work. Addressing precarious work requires professional valorization policies, protected employment relationships, adequate staffing, decent remuneration, safe working conditions, worker participation in decision-making, and strengthening of occupational health policies.