Predictors of critical care nurses’ intention to leave the unit, the hospital, and the nursing profession

Claudio Giovanni Cortese

doi:10.4236/ojn.2012.223046

Abstract

Nursing turnover and shortage are acknowledged as worldwide issues: understanding the factors that foster nurses’ intention to leave (ITL) is essential in retaining them. The present study aims at providing insight into the factors influencing critical care and intensive care nurses’ ITL the unit, the hospital, and the nursing profession. The study was conducted in two hospitals, by a questionnaire administered to all nurses employed in critical and intensive care units. 512 questionnaires (89.4%) were returned. Results revealed that a low job satisfaction (JS) for interaction with physicians and nurses, seniority ≥20 years, and working in Emergency are related to higher ITL the unit. Low JS for work organization policies, seniority ≥11 years, working in a private hospital, and higher educational level are related to higher levels of ITL the hospital. Low JS for professional status, for pay, and for work organization policies, age ≥40 years, part-time schedule are related to higher ITL the nursing profession. The research permitted detection of various predictors of different kinds of ITL, enhancing the importance of regular monitoring of ITL. In order to limit ITL, it would be important to work on the relationship with physicians and colleagues, work demands, organizational policies, and acknowledgement of competence.

Highlights

In the last decade nursing shortage has been acknowledged as a worldwide issue
The present study aims at providing insight into the factors influencing critical care and intensive care nurses’ intention to leave (ITL) the unit, the hospital, and the nursing profession
Results revealed that a low job satisfaction (JS) for interaction with physicians and nurses, seniority ≥ 20 years, and working in Emergency are related to higher ITL the unit

Summary

Introduction

In the last decade nursing shortage has been acknowledged as a worldwide issue. The majority of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries report nursing shortages, and in these countries unemployment of nurses appears to be marginal [1,2,3]. According to [4], the healthcare workforce crisis has been having an impact on many countries’ ability to fight disease and improve health. Among the causes of these situations are increasing demands of health services, ageing of the population, a diminishing workforce, lack of training courses and nurses abandoning the profession [1,5,6]. As for each single health institution, the problem of organizational leave is added, leading to personnel substitutions and an increase in costs. Lack of nurses and nurse turnover represent a major problem for nursing and health-care in terms of the ability to care for patients [7], the quality of care [8,9] and costs [10]

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Conclusion