Chronic Fatigue Predicts Hospital Nurse Turnover Intentions.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Healthcare Management
• Occupational Health Psychology

Background:

• Nurse turnover is a significant issue in healthcare, influenced by factors like occupational fatigue and burnout.
• Understanding the interplay between fatigue, burnout, meaning, joy in work, and resilience is crucial for retaining nurses.
• Previous research highlights the impact of these factors, but specific causal relationships require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the impact of specific workforce engagement factors on hospital nurse turnover intentions.
• To identify key predictors of nurses' intentions to leave their positions.
• To provide evidence-based recommendations for nurse administrators to reduce turnover.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative study involving 151 nurses from a southwestern hospital.
• Online surveys were utilized to collect data on workforce engagement factors and turnover intentions.
• Path analyses were employed to examine the direct and indirect relationships among the studied variables.

Main Results:

• Chronic occupational fatigue emerged as the sole significant predictor of nurse turnover intentions.
• Burnout, while strongly associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, did not directly predict turnover intention.
• High levels of chronic fatigue were linked to reduced meaning and joy in work, and lower work-related resilience.

Conclusions:

• Nurse administrators should prioritize interventions targeting chronic occupational fatigue to mitigate nurse turnover.
• Addressing fatigue may indirectly improve meaning, joy in work, and resilience, potentially reducing turnover intentions.
• Future strategies for nurse retention should focus on managing occupational fatigue as a primary driver of turnover decisions.