Abstract
ObjectiveIn consideration of the current nursing shortage in Saudi Arabia, we aimed to investigate the association among perceptions of work environment, communication satisfaction, and intentions to quit nursing profession among nurses. In addition, we aimed to investigate the mediating effect of communication satisfaction on the association between nurses’ perception of work environment and their intentions to quit nursing profession.MethodsThis predictive correlational study was conducted at one of the major hospitals in Saudi Arabia from January 2020 to March 2020. It included a convenience sample of 367 full-time registered nurses who completed three types of close-ended questionnaires. We used IBM SPSS version 24.0 to analyze the collected data. Regression analyses were used to test the study’s hypotheses. All regression assumptions were assessed and confirmed. Significance for all tests was set at p ≤ .05.ResultsThe findings indicated an affirmative association between work environment perception and communication satisfaction (b = .764, p < .05) among nurses. In addition, findings showed that work environment perception (b = −.187, p < .05) and communication satisfaction (b = −.226, p < .05) have negative impacts on the nurses’ intentions to quit; indicating that as work environment perception or communication satisfaction increases, the intention to quit decreases among nurses. Further, a mediation effect of communication satisfaction on the relationship between work environment perception and intention to quit was confirmed.ConclusionThis study presents a novel conceptual framework developed based on the literature about the predisposing factors for nurses’ intentions to quit nursing profession. Our results suggest that work environment perception and communication satisfaction among the most contributing factors for nurses resignation. Effective communication was established as a crucial factor for establishing attractive and healthy working environment. Nursing managers can benefit by applying these findings to develop appropriate strategies to inhibit the shortage of nurses in Saudi Arabia.
Highlights
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, expenditure on healthcare keeps on rising. This is because health organizations are the central aspects of a healthcare system in Saudi Arabia as they significantly affect the health of the community
The findings indicated a significant negative influence of working environment perception on the intention to quit among nurses (b = −.187, p < .05); indicating that as nurses’ perception of work environment increases, their intentions to quit declines and vice versa
Our results suggest that modest levels of work environment perception and communication satisfaction among nurses were seen as indicators for further systematic strategic plans to achieve attractive nursing working environment
Summary
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, expenditure on healthcare keeps on rising. This is because health organizations are the central aspects of a healthcare system in Saudi Arabia as they significantly affect the health of the community. According to Oliveira et al (2017), concerns that adversely influence nurses elevate the probability of challenges in the delivery of optimal healthcare services. One of these challenges is nursing shortage which is dominant in Saudi Arabia (Aboshaiqah, 2016; Alsufyani et al, 2020). Nantsupawat et al (2016) stated that intention to quit nursing profession exacerbates by stressful work environment and poor communication climate and strategies. Özer et al (2017) established that nurses’ satisfaction about work environment and communication climate within their healthcare organizations play an important role in their intentions to leave their jobs
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