Antecedents and contextual factors affecting occupational turnover among registered nurses in public hospitals in Hong Kong: A qualitative descriptive study

Global increases in both population size and ageing have led to a drastic expansion in the demand for healthcare services. The shortage of nursing workforce capacity continues, posing immense challenges for the global healthcare system. We aimed to identify the antecedents and contextual factors that contribute to the decisions of occupational turnover from the clinical duties of registered nurses in public hospitals in Hong Kong. A qualitative descriptive design was used in this study. A total of 18 registered nurses who had resigned from public hospitals in Hong Kong and changed their occupations were recruited via convenience and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected through individual, semi-structured, and face-to-face interviews and were analyzed according to the content analysis approach. The antecedents and contextual factors that contributed to the registered nurses’ decisions regarding occupational turnover were identified from the collected data. These factors were classified into three overarching categories: (1) job dissatisfaction due to a tense work environment, (2) low motivation due to limited career opportunities, and (3) inadequate communication due to ineffective leadership. The identification of these antecedents and contextual factors could help healthcare service providers to develop strategies to enhance nurses’ commitment and engagement in their positions and eventually improve their retention. Based on these factors, healthcare sector policy makers could consider incorporating appropriate strategies into healthcare system policy.