Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Hawai'i Nursing Workforce: A Cross-sectional Survey

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has placed extraordinary strain on health care systems. This has led to increased stress among health care workers, and nurses in particular, which has had a negative impact on their physical and psychosocial wellbeing. This is likely to negatively impact the nursing workforce at the state and national levels as the pandemic continues. The purpose of this study was to assess whether nurses licensed in Hawai'i have considered leaving the workforce. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Hawai'i nurses at all levels of licensure, with 421 responding. Of these nurses, 97 (23.0%) reported considering leaving the workforce, with safety (39.2%) and family/caregiver strain (32.0%) being the most common reasons. Reconsidering whether they should stay employed in their current roles (Odds ratio [OR] 2.05; 95% CI 1.56 - 2.69) and fear to continue providing direct patient care (OR 1.97; 95% CI 1.54 - 2.54) were associated with increased odds of having considered leaving the workforce. Based on these results, the State of Hawai'i and local health care organizations need to adjust their nursing workforce estimates and address how to alleviate nurses' stressors and safety concerns to mitigate a potential workforce shortage. Research is needed to develop interventions to support and empower nurses in their current roles but also address future emergency preparedness.