Abstract
COVID-19 has led to a global health emergency worldwide. As a result, healthcare workers undergo distress mainly due to the perceived risk of contracting the virus. Such stress might cause them to leave their jobs. In this context, the current study: (1) introduced the concept of perceived risk of COVID-19 and measured it by adapting and validating an existing scale available on the risk of infectious diseases and (2) investigated its outcomes, underlying mechanisms, and boundary conditions for healthcare workers. With the support of conservation of resources theory, the current study aimed to investigate the association between perceived risk of COVID-19 and turnover intentions among healthcare workers, particularly Doctors, nurses, and paramedics staff. This study also aimed to investigate the mediating role of perceived fear of COVID-19 between perceived risk of COVID-19 and turnover intention. The current study also aimed to examine the buffering role that perceptions of hospital measures against COVID-19 could have on diminishing workers’ turnover intentions. Data were collected through a three time-lag email survey of healthcare workers in Pakistan (N = 178) who currently provide treatment to COVID-19 patients. The results supported the hypothesis that perceived risk of COVID-19 enhances fear of COVID-19 among healthcare workers and, consequently, their turnover intentions. Perceptions of hospital measures against COVID-19 weaken the relationship between perceived risk of COVID-19 and fear of COVID-19, which reduces turnover intentions of health care workers. The current study offers implications for theory, practitioners, and society.
Highlights
Infectious diseases are a major threat to the health and wellbeing of healthcare workers, which include doctors, nurses, and paramedics who are directly dealing with COVID-19 patients as they are at higher risk of infection due to frequent interaction with affected patients [1,2,3]
The perception of hospital measures against COVID-19 had a negative correlation with the perceived risk of COVID-19 (r = −0.40, p < 0.01), fear of COVID-19 (r = −0.34, p < 0.01), and turnover intentions of health care workers (r = −0.27, p < 0.01)
The current study proposed that the perception of hospital measures against COVID-19 can helps in reducing the fear of COVID-19 among healthcare workers
Summary
Infectious diseases are a major threat to the health and wellbeing of healthcare workers, which include doctors, nurses, and paramedics who are directly dealing with COVID-19 patients as they are at higher risk of infection due to frequent interaction with affected patients [1,2,3]. Ferioli et al [5] reported that 50% of healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and paramedics, were affected by a lethal disease before SARS. The contagious nature of COVID-19 has put healthcare workers at immense risk of contracting the virus as they have to perform their duties for infected patients [6]. Despite the growing number of studies on the spread of fear of COVID-19 among common citizens, research is still scarce on the perceived risk of COVID-19 and its negative consequences for healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and paramedics.
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