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. 2023 Jan-Dec:60:469580231159318.
doi: 10.1177/00469580231159318.

The Race to Retain Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review on Factors that Impact Retention of Nurses and Physicians in Hospitals

Neeltje de Vries  1   2 , Anke Boone  3 , Lode Godderis  3   4 , José Bouman  2 , Szymon Szemik  5 , Domenica Matranga  6 , Peter de Winter  2   7   8
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The Race to Retain Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review on Factors that Impact Retention of Nurses and Physicians in Hospitals

Neeltje de Vries et al. Inquiry. 2023 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

The shortage of healthcare workers is a growing problem across the globe. Nurses and physicians, in particular, are vulnerable as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding why they might leave is imperative for improving retention. This systematic review explores both the prevalence of nurses and physicians who are intent on leaving their position at hospitals in European countries and the main determinants influencing job retention among nurses and physicians of their respective position in a hospital setting in both European and non-European countries. A comprehensive search was fulfilled within 3 electronic databases on June 3rd 2021. In total 345 articles met the inclusion criteria. The determinants were categorized into 6 themes: personal characteristics, job demands, employment services, working conditions, work relationships, and organizational culture. The main determinants for job retention were job satisfaction, career development and work-life balance. European and non-European countries showed similarities and differences in determinants influencing retention. Identifying these factors supports the development of multifactorial interventions, which can aid the formulation of medical strategies and help to maximize retention.

Keywords: Job Demand-Resources model; PRISMA; determinants; nurses; physicians; retention; systematic review; turnover.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Job Demands-Resources Model adapted to turnover intentions.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
PRISMA flow diagram. *This part was always reviewed by 2 reviewers. **Excluded due to wrong population, wrong outcome, wrong publication type, wrong determinant, wrong study design, or foreign language.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Intention to leave: registered nurses.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Intention to leave: physicians.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Inter-correlation figure adapted for turnover intention.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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