Determinants of Job Retention among Nurses Working in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Study from Al Dannah City, Abu Dhabi

Background: For a healthcare provider to provide high-quality nursing care, nurses must be kept on staff. Internationally, it is acknowledged that nurse workforce retention is a crucial problem for meeting current and future healthcare needs. Objective: To determine the job retention rate and associated factors among nurses working in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: This prospective observational study was performed at Al Dhannah Hospital located in Al Dhanna City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Nurses were divided into two groups for conducting this survey. One group of those who were working at the end of year 2021 and the other group was the one who left the organization from January 2021 to December 2021. Emails were sent to all nurses meeting the inclusion criteria for their voluntary participation in the study. Results: A total of 138 nurses were working at the institution at the start of January 2021 and all of them were invited for this survey. Out of 138, 63(45.6%) were those who left the organization from January 2021 till December 2021. The median age of respondents was 31.5 (IQR=27-38) years. The median overall experience of staff was 7 (IQR=5-8) years. The majority of nurses were females (n=72, 80%). In multivariable regression, total experience and teamwork across units were found to be determinants of nurse job retention. Conclusion: This study analyzed that the nursing turnover rate was higher, particularly among the less experienced workforce. There must be the implementation of new administrative policies and interventions for continuous monitoring of teamwork across units.