The Increasing Turnover Intention of Professional Nurses in Greek Public Hospitals: Factors and Motivation

Abstract

All over the world, the shortages in the field of public nursing constitute a major challenge among health systems, not only due to the increasing life expectancy but also to emerging diseases that require sufficient staff for qualitative and equitable health services. This study aims to explore the increasing turnover intention of Professional Nurses (PN) in Greece, mainly in public hospitals as a multidimensional phenomenon, and to also highlight the factors that contribute either positively or negatively to this intention. To better understand the determinants of PN‘s turnover intention, and to explore the place of Greece concerning other European countries, data from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Eurostat and Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) were analyzed in terms of the proportion of PN per population, the proportion of PN to doctors, the average remuneration level, and the ratio nurse to hospital bed. Low job satisfaction, burnout, emotional exhaustion, rotating hours, low remuneration levels, unjustified transfers, feelings of injustice, and bureaucracy are the main factors that contribute to the turnover intention of Greek PN. After the pandemic crisis and significant reductions in nursing staff, many measures are required, not only by the Greek government but also by hospital managers to strengthen the nursing sector.