Antecedents and Contextual Factors Affecting Occupational Turnover among Registered Nurses in Public Hospitals in Hong Kong: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Maria S Y Hung,Stanley K K Lam

doi:10.3390/ijerph17113834

Abstract

Global increases in both population size and ageing have led to a drastic expansion in the demand for healthcare services. The shortage of nursing workforce capacity continues, posing immense challenges for the global healthcare system. We aimed to identify the antecedents and contextual factors that contribute to the decisions of occupational turnover from the clinical duties of registered nurses in public hospitals in Hong Kong. A qualitative descriptive design was used in this study. A total of 18 registered nurses who had resigned from public hospitals in Hong Kong and changed their occupations were recruited via convenience and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected through individual, semi-structured, and face-to-face interviews and were analyzed according to the content analysis approach. The antecedents and contextual factors that contributed to the registered nurses’ decisions regarding occupational turnover were identified from the collected data. These factors were classified into three overarching categories: (1) job dissatisfaction due to a tense work environment, (2) low motivation due to limited career opportunities, and (3) inadequate communication due to ineffective leadership. The identification of these antecedents and contextual factors could help healthcare service providers to develop strategies to enhance nurses’ commitment and engagement in their positions and eventually improve their retention. Based on these factors, healthcare sector policy makers could consider incorporating appropriate strategies into healthcare system policy.

Highlights

Global increases in both population size and ageing have recently led to a drastic expansion in demand for healthcare services
In a local study investigating the reasons for nurses’ organizational turnover from public hospitals to private hospitals, the findings showed that inadequate staffing taking on a demanding workload and unsatisfactory relationships with colleagues and supervisors were the main reasons [11]
We focused on using content analysis to gain a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the context that surrounded these nurses and the influences of their decisions regarding occupational turnover

Summary

Introduction

Global increases in both population size and ageing have recently led to a drastic expansion in demand for healthcare services. Increased expectations regarding the standards and quality of provided healthcare services and the greater complexity of healthcare tasks have placed further demands on healthcare professionals. Various projections regarding the healthcare workforce have suggested that the growth in the service has not been enough to meet the increased needs of the global population [1]. These reported projections have consistently highlighted that, of various healthcare shortages, the lack of professional nurses in healthcare systems worldwide will be the most severe [2].

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