Factors Associated with Turnover Intention Among Healthcare Workers During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic in China

Hao Hou; Yifei Pei; Yinmei Yang; Lili Lu; Wenjun Yan; Xiuyin Gao; Wei Wang

doi:10.2147/RMHP.S318106

Factors Associated with Turnover Intention Among Healthcare Workers During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic in China

Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2021 Dec 14:14:4953-4965. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S318106. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Hao Hou^#¹, Yifei Pei^#¹, Yinmei Yang², Lili Lu³, Wenjun Yan¹, Xiuyin Gao¹, Wei Wang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Community and Health Education, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
² Department of Social Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
³ Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People's Republic of China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Purpose: This study assessed the prevalence of turnover intention and explored associated factors on turnover intention among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July to February 13th to 20th, 2020, in 31 provinces of mainland China. A total of 1403 healthcare workers were recruited. Hierarchical logistic regressions were used to identify potential factors associated with turnover intention among Chinese health care workers.

Results: The prevalence of turnover intention among healthcare workers was 10.1% during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Results of hierarchical regression revealed that working in Grade II hospital (OR = 1.78), technician (OR = 0.30), daily working hours over 12 h (OR = 2.92), frequency of mask replacement between 4 and 8 h (OR = 3.51), refuse volunteer to frontline (OR = 1.68), patient-physician relation unchanged (OR = 1.73), depression (OR = 2.21) and lower social support (OR = 1.75) were significantly associated with the risk of turnover intention. Additionally, healthcare worker's psychosocial syndemic (OR = 6.13) was positively associated with turnover intention.

Conclusion: Turnover intention is relatively prevalent among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in China, and the factors contributing to turnover intention were complex and varied. Early screening of high-risk groups for turnover intention among healthcare workers and more psychosocial health care and physical protection are needed during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Keywords: COVID-19; China; healthcare workers; turnover intention.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 82003484] and Universities’ philosophy and social science researches in Jiangsu Province [2020SJA1053], Natural Science Foundation for Colleges Universities in Jiangsu Province [20KJB330005].