Specialists’ Perceptions of Workforce Retention Strategies in the Malaysian Ministry of Health and Their Association With Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention: Protocol for a REDCap-Based National Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: Retention of specialists is critical for sustaining health system performance. In Malaysia, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has implemented multiple workforce retention strategies (WRSs) to enhance job satisfaction and reduce turnover among specialists. However, evidence on specialists' awareness, participation, and perceived effectiveness of these strategies remains limited. To address this gap, we plan to administer a standardized survey among specialists in MOH health care facilities to guide evidence-based strategic planning toward specialist retention. Objective: This protocol describes a national-level online survey to assess MOH specialists' perceptions of WRS and examine their associations with job satisfaction and turnover intention, using REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) to ensure real-time data collection within a robust and secure digital platform. Methods: A cross-sectional mixed methods study will be conducted among 1325 MOH specialists selected through systematic random sampling from the Human Resource Management Information System. Data collection will be implemented using a REDCap-based workflow to support secure and efficient survey administration. REDCap functionalities will be used, including automated survey invitations with nontransferable links to prevent duplicate responses, branching logic to tailor item relevance, auto-reminder scheduling, and real-time data validation to minimize entry errors. The self-administered questionnaire comprises measures of specialists' awareness, participation, and perceived effectiveness of 12 MOH-implemented WRSs, job satisfaction assessed using the Job Satisfaction Survey, and turnover intention measured with the Turnover Intention Scale-6, as well as 2 optional open-ended questions for qualitative input to strengthen the quantitative results. A pilot study will be conducted to assess instrument reliability and REDCap platform usability. Quantitative data will be exported from REDCap for descriptive and inferential analyses, while qualitative responses will undergo thematic analysis using NVivo and be integrated with quantitative findings during interpretation. Results: This study will generate vital evidence of MOH specialists' engagement with WRSs and how perceptions of these strategies related to their job satisfaction and turnover intention. Participant recruitment and data collection have been completed, and the study is in the data analysis phase. It is expected that the data analysis will be completed in March 2026 and that the results will be published in June 2026. Conclusions: This protocol establishes a REDCap-based survey for conducting large-scale research focused on MOH specialists. Findings are expected to guide data-driven improvements to WRS implementation within the MOH Malaysia and may serve as a useful methodological model for similar research in public sector workforce studies.