Work interruptions and nurse turnover intention mediated by burnout

Nursing work interruptions represent common psychosocial workplace exposures that may contribute to burnout and threaten workforce stability.

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among nurses (N = 261) working in general inpatient wards within a four-campus tertiary hospital system in Zhejiang Province, China, from 14 January to 10 February 2026. Interruptions were assessed using the Nursing Work Interruption Scale (NWIS; total score), coping resources were measured using a 26-item interruption coping resources questionnaire (total score), burnout was evaluated using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI; 0-100 converted mean score), and turnover intention was measured using a 3-item scale (mean score). Mediation and serial mediation analyses were performed using PROCESS version 5.0 with 5,000 bias-corrected bootstrap samples.

Turnover intention demonstrated a significant positive association with interruptions (c = 0.015, p = 0.006). Burnout mediated this relationship [Model 4 indirect = 0.0155, 95% BC CI (0.0104, 0.0216); c' = -0.0006, p = 0.917]. In the serial mediation model (Model 6), interruptions were associated with lower coping resources (b = -0.3210, p < 0.001) and higher burnout (b = 0.5704, p < 0.001); coping resources were associated with lower burnout (b = -0.7034, p < 0.001); and burnout was associated with higher turnover intention (b = 0.0178, p < 0.001). Indirect effects through burnout [0.0102, 95% BC CI (0.0063, 0.0155)] and serially through coping resources and burnout [0.0040, 95% BC CI (0.0019, 0.0077)] were found to be significant. These results remained robust after adjusting for variables such as department group, years working in the hospital, and average daily patient volume [Model 6 Ind2 = 0.0100, 95% BC CI (0.0061, 0.0155); and Ind3 = 0.0035, 95% BC CI (0.0015, 0.0069)].

The findings are consistent with a conservation of resources (COR)-informed resource depletion pathway, linking interruptions to turnover intention primarily through burnout. This highlights a potential modifiable occupational health target for prevention.