Noneconomic and economic impacts of nurse turnover in hospitals: A systematic review

To examine and synthesize the noneconomic and economic impacts of nurse turnover in acute hospitals.

Nurse turnover occurs when nurses leave their jobs or the profession and is a major concern for the healthcare industry. Many studies have investigated the determinants of nurse turnover.

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist was utilized in the current review. Article search was conducted in June 2021. Research articles published since January 2000 were included. Eight databases (e.g., CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) were used. The following eligibility criteria were applied for inclusion: Articles that (1) were nonexperimental quantitative studies, (2) examined the impact of actual nurse turnover in acute hospitals, (3) were a peer-reviewed original research article, and (4) were written in English or Korean.

Among 9,041 searched articles, 16 were included in the review. Seven studies investigated the association of nurse turnover with processes and outcomes (workgroup processes, nurse staffing, nurse outcomes, and patient outcomes), and partially supported the negative impact of turnover. Nine studies found that nurse turnover is very costly.

Most studies investigated the turnover cost, which is costly. The negative noneconomic impact of nurse turnover was partially supported.

To prevent the adverse noneconomic and economic impacts of nurse turnover and retain nurses, healthcare organizations, nurse managers, and hospital staff nurses need to develop and implement prevention strategies and policies to address nurse turnover. Efforts to address nurse turnover can increase hospital competency to improve the quality of nursing care services and patient safety.