Factors influencing turnover intentions among perioperative nurses in Australia: A cross-sectional study

This study examined turnover intention among Australian perioperative nurses and its relationship with demographic characteristics and the workplace environment. Global shortages of skilled nurses are straining perioperative care. While the United States has led research in this area, further investigation is needed in other countries to understand and address staffing challenges. An anonymous national survey via Qualtrics gathered demographic data, Turnover Intention Scale (TIS-6) scores, Healthcare Environment Survey responses, and nursing shortage insights. Descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis, and principal component analysis were used to explore variable relationships and predictor effects, and a general linear model was applied to assess model fit and identify significant TIS-6 predictors. Of the 900 analyzed responses, 105 participants had recently changed jobs, while 60.8 % of the remaining participants reported moderate to high turnover intention. Lower turnover intention was associated with satisfaction in workload, leadership, co-worker relationships, and compensation. However, higher satisfaction with building trust with patients and families unexpectedly predicted greater turnover intention. Improving the perioperative work environment is essential to reducing turnover and retaining nursing staff.