Factors affecting turnover intention of nurses in Japanese nursing homes for older adults—A cross‐sectional study

Abstract Aim This study aimed to clarify factors that affect turnover intention of nurses in Japanese nursing homes (NHs). Methods Cross‐sectional nationwide self‐administered anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted among 2000 nurses and 1000 directors from 1000 NHs. Data were collected between December 2019 and January 2020. The questionnaire contained NH nurses' turnover intention，organizational factors such as work conditions, and so on; individual factors such as self‐evaluation of nursing practice and so on. Responses were obtained from 267 nurses and 163 directors (response rates: 13.4% and 16.3%, respectively). This analysis included 196 responses from both nurses and directors from NHs. Univariate analysis and logistic regression analyses were performed to examine factors affecting nurses' turnover intentions. Results Regarding the NH nurses' turnover intention, 49.5% responded “no intention to leave,” 50.5% responded “intention to leave.” Of these “intention to leave,” 41.4% responded “I wanted to work in a medical facility.” A stronger burden of on‐call shift (OR [odds ratio] = 1.54, 95% CI [confidence interval]: 1.10–2.16) and a lower affective organizational commitment (OR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.62–0.80) indicated a higher turnover intention of NH nurses. Conclusions Retention of NH nurses may be increased by reducing the burden of on‐call shifts and enhancing affective organizational commitment.