Factors that contribute to turnover and retention amongst emergency department nurses: A scoping review

Nicholas McIntyre; Julia Crilly; Elizabeth Elder

doi:10.1016/j.ienj.2024.101437

Factors that contribute to turnover and retention amongst emergency department nurses: A scoping review

Int Emerg Nurs. 2024 Apr 6:74:101437. doi: 10.1016/j.ienj.2024.101437. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Nicholas McIntyre¹, Julia Crilly², Elizabeth Elder³

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia; Department of Emergency Medicine, Gold Coast Health, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: Nicholas.McIntyre@griffithuni.edu.au.
² School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia; Department of Emergency Medicine, Gold Coast Health, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia; Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Mental Health, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: Julia.Crilly@health.qld.gov.au.
³ School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia; Department of Emergency Medicine, Gold Coast Health, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia; Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: e.elder@griffith.edu.au.

PMID: 38583300
DOI: 10.1016/j.ienj.2024.101437

Abstract

Background: Internationally, the emergency nursing workforce shortage is of critical concern.

Aim: To synthesise the evidence and assess the scope of literature regarding factors that contribute to turnover and retention amongst emergency nurses.

Method: A scoping review using the Joanna Briggs Institute approach was undertaken. Fivedatabases (Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Business Source Complete) were searched for papers published in English between January 2011 and June 2023 where the population was nurses, context was the emergency department, and the concept was turnover or retention. A quality appraisal was performed on included studies.

Results: A total of 31 articles met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-six studies focussed on turnover and five studies focussed on retention. Factors that contribute to ED nursing turnover included workplace violence, personal aspects (e.g., burnout or depression), organisational characteristics, and environmental/ job characteristics. Factors that contributed to ED nursing retention included mentoring programs, the advancement in nursing skills, and the transition to practice speciality (emergency) programs.

Conclusions: A large body of literature exists regarding ED nurses' reasons for leaving their area of practice, yet limited evidence exist on retention. Research exploring factors that promote retention of emergency nurses that leads to subsequent stability and growth in the emergency nursing workforce is needed.

Keywords: Emergency services hospital; Nurses; Personal retention; Scoping review; Workforce turnover.

Publication types

Review