Reducing turnover intention to improve care outcome: A two-wave study

To ascertain how professional turnover intention impacts nurse-assessed care outcomes, including patient-centered care and care quality.

Patient-centered care and care quality are critical to care outcomes. However, we do not know whether care outcomes would be improved by reducing nurses' professional turnover intention.

We implemented a two-wave correlational follow-up design.

This study was conducted in a large-scale general in Taiwan during January and February 2018, and January and February 2019. We successfully obtained responses from 448 nurses in 2018 and subsequently followed up (in 2019). Most were women (97.5%), reflecting the profile of the local nurse population. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses.

Our findings indicate that nurses' professional turnover intention is negatively related to nurse-assessed, patient-centered care. Nurses' professional turnover intention is also negatively related to all the five perceptions of nurse-assessed care quality: that is, assurance, reliability, responsiveness, empathy, and tangibles. Moreover, years of working as a nurse is also positively related to nurse-assessed, patient-centered care and all the five perceptions of nurse-assessed care quality.

This study examined nurses' professional turnover intention as an antecedent of nurse-assessed, patient-centered care and care quality. Our study shows that professional turnover intention may predict care outcomes. Overall, our study suggests that professional turnover intention not only impacts workforce stability but also impacts health-care outcomes.

Our findings suggest that reduction of nurses' turnover intentions could benefit care outcomes. Hospital managers should know that nurses' turnover negatively impacts care outcomes.