Evaluating nurse turnover: comparing attitude surveys and exit interviews

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Workforce Research
• Human Resources in Healthcare

Background:

• High nurse turnover rates present significant challenges for hospital operations and patient care.
• Exit interviews are commonly used but may not capture comprehensive data on attrition reasons.
• Effective strategies are needed to understand and mitigate nurse attrition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of exit interviews versus employee attitude surveys in gathering data for nurse retention.
• To identify which method yields more useful and higher-quality data for managing nurse turnover.
• To provide recommendations for enhancing the validity of data collection for nurse retention.

Main Methods:

• A case study design was employed to compare two data collection methods.
• Data were generated and analyzed from both exit interviews and an employee attitude survey.
• The study focused on the quality and quantity of data relevant to nurse retention.

Main Results:

• Employee attitude surveys generated a greater volume of data compared to exit interviews.
• The data obtained from attitude surveys were of higher quality and more useful for retention management.
• Open-ended questions within surveys proved particularly valuable for gathering insights.

Conclusions:

• Employee attitude surveys are more effective than exit interviews for understanding the drivers of nurse attrition.
• Incorporating open-ended questions into nurse attitude surveys is recommended for richer data.
• The findings support the use of improved survey methods to enhance nurse retention strategies.