Quality of work life as a predictor of nurses' intention to leave units, organisations and the profession

Aim To examine the relationships between quality of work life (QWL) and nurses' intention to leave their unit (ITLunit), organisation (ITLorg) and profession (ITLpro). Background The high turnover rate among nurses presents a major challenge to health care systems across the globe. QWL plays a significant role in nurses' turnover. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was conducted via purposive sampling of 1283 hospital nurses and administering the Chinese version of the Quality of Nursing Work Life scale (C-QNWL), a three-ITL-type scale questionnaire, and a demographic questionnaire for individual-and work-related variables. Descriptive data, correlations, and ordinal regression models were analyzed. Results QWL predicted ITLpro and ITLorg better than ITLunit. Three QWL dimensions (work arrangement and workload, nursing staffing and patient care, and work-home life balance) were significantly predictive of all three ITL measures. However, the dimension of teamwork and communication was only predictive for ITLunit, not for ITLorg and ITLpro. Conclusions Different patterns of QWL dimensions are predictive of ITLunit, ITLorg, and ITLpro. Implications for nursing management The study provides important information to nurse administrators about the aspects of QWL that most commonly lead nurses to leave their units, organisations, and even the profession itself.