The Impact of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic on Nurses’ Turnover Intention: An Integrative Review

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand and workload on nurses. In addition, the number of critical cases, the uncertainty about the disease, and the incidence rate of death from the disease impose a psychological stress on nurses. Considering the alarming issues of stress, burnout, and turnover among nurses even before the pandemic, the pandemic might have amplified such issues. Thus, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses’ turnover and turnover intention warrants investigation. The aim of this review is to appraise and integrate the current pre- and post-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) literature on nurse turnover, published between 2016 and 2021. Forty-three studies on nurses’ turnover intention were appraised and synthesized. The reviewed literature suggested that nurses’ turnover intention increased significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic. Post-COVID-19-pandemic studies focused more on predicting nurses’ turnover intention through the pandemic’s negative impact on the nurses’ psychological wellbeing. The findings of this review should be considered by nurse managers and leaders in the development of policies and programs to reduce the negative impact of COVID-19 on nurse retention.

How to Reduce Mental Health Burden in Health Care Workers During COVID-19?–A Scoping Review of Guideline Recommendations

“…The relevance of protecting and promoting HCWs mental well-being must be viewed as a worldwide problem, as studies show the negative effects pandemics and epidemics have on the mental health of HCWs in several countries across Asia, Northern America, Middle East, Europe and West Africa ( 1 ). Additionally, a recent review showed an increase in the turnover intention in nurses in post-pandemic studies, posing the risk of further aggravating staff shortage ( 50 ). These circumstances can lead to a vicious cycle, putting more pressure on those remaining in their professions.…”

The COVID-19 Pandemic Increased Burnout and Bullying among Newly Graduated Nurses but Did Not Impact the Relationship between Burnout and Bullying and Self-Labelled Subjective Feeling of Being Bullied: A Cross-Sectional, Comparative Study

“…The shortage of nurses that results from low nurse retention and instability in the nursing workforce due to increased turnover is currently a global concern [1]. Risk factors for the intention to leave the nursing profession have been identified, including workplace bullying and burnout syndrome, which are positively related to each other [2,3].…”

“…The current COVID-19 pandemic posed a great challenge to health care systems worldwide. Health care personnel, including nurses, work under high pressure and are overworked and overwhelmed, resulting in a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and professional burnout or workplace bullying, which further increase the intent to leave the nursing profession [2,4,5]. Raso et al [6] indicated that at least 11% of nurses intended to leave after the pandemic, while about 20% were undecided.…”

“…According to Leymann, bullying is related to organisational factors, including deficiencies in work design, wrong leadership behaviour or low moral standards [12]. The outcomes of bullying are severe, voluminous, hazardous in terms of physical and mental health, and could result in an increased intention to leave the profession [2,5]. Investigations by Fino et al revealed that verbal aggression might help to cope with adverse situationists by attenuated arousal in response to emotional stimuli.…”

Nursing Students’ Emotional State and Perceived Competence During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Vital Role of Teacher and Peer Support

“…The fourth wave of COVID-19 intensified the ongoing crisis and led to burnout for many nurses. As a result, a considerable number of nurses are resigning (Falatah, 2021;NSI Nursing Solutions, 2021). Consequently, in light of the aging population globally, the COVID-19 pandemic, and possibly new pandemics, finding ways to encourage and support young people to complete their nursing education is significant.…”