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Turnover and Intention to Leave Among Belgian Healthcare Workers After COVID-19: A Two-Year Longitudinal Cohort Study
Filip Haegdorens1, Stijn Slootmans1, Senne Vleminckx1
1Workforce Management and Outcome Research in Care (WORC) Group, Centre for Research and Innovation in Care, University of Antwerp (Belgium), Antwerp, Belgium.
Aim:
To investigate the association between healthcare workers' demographic and work-environment variables during the COVID-19 pandemic and their turnover intentions or actual turnover after two years.
Design:
Two-step longitudinal cohort study.
Methods:
A nationwide longitudinal cohort study was conducted using a convenience sample of Belgian HCWs who participated in online surveys at two time points: November 24th, 2021, to March 15th, 2022 (Period 1), and November 16th, 2023, to December 12th, 2023 (Period 2).
Results:
Out of 2149 participants in the first survey, 700 responded in the second. During the pandemic, 31.3% intended to leave the profession. In Period 2, 52.3% of those reaffirmed their intention or had left (6.5%). Work autonomy, resilience, and perceived patient harm predicted turnover intention. Pandemic-related work pressure was the primary reason for leaving.
Conclusion:
Promoting healthcare workers' autonomy and resilience is crucial for mitigating turnover. HCWs who experience patient harm during a pandemic will have a higher risk for turnover. Knowing this, healthcare managers and policymakers should develop strategies to prepare for future health crises.
Implications For The Profession And Patient Care:
Enhancing work autonomy and resilience among healthcare workers can improve retention and job satisfaction, ultimately leading to better patient care and a more stable healthcare workforce.
Impact:
Problem Addressed: The study addresses the high turnover intentions among healthcare workers during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Main Findings:
Work autonomy, resilience, and perceived patient harm due to workload are significant predictors of turnover intentions.
Impact:
The research impacts healthcare managers and policymakers by providing insights into factors that can improve healthcare workers' retention and job satisfaction.
Reporting Method:
This study adhered to the STROBE guidelines for reporting observational studies.
Patient Or Public Contribution:
No patient or public contribution.
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