The Road Less Taken: Factors Influencing Intent to Quit Among Indian Nurses- Single Centre Experience.

Background: Insufficient nursing staff adversely impacts patient outcomes. This study was conducted to assess the factors influencing the intention to quit among nurses in a hospital in India.

Methods: This observational study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital and teaching institute in Chandigarh, India. A total of 229 nurses participated in the study. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire from a published thesis at Malardalen University, Sweden, with a Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.82 to 0.85.

Results: The majority of the nurses were aged between 31 and 40 years (67.2%). Female nurses outnumbered male nurses [162 (70.7%) vs. 67 (29.3%)]. The mean work experience of the participants was 5.6 ± 2.746 years. Nearly 69% of the nurses expressed an intention to quit, albeit to varying extents. The intention to quit had a significant positive correlation with career growth, work schedule, and perceived health (p < 0.05). A weak correlation was observed with wages, organization, work environment, and managerial support, while no significant correlation was found with work climate.

Conclusion: In this hospital, 69.4% of nurses reported an intention to quit to some degree. The intention to quit was significantly associated with career growth, work schedule, and perceived health. Addressing these factors may help improve nurse retention.