Nurse Managers’ Views of Measures to Improve Nurse Retention at a Selected Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

The massive global nursing shortage in health care settings increases nurses’ workloads and complicates workflow. Health care personnel employed in public hospitals generally work under appalling working conditions. As disease burdens increase, high vacancy rates and workloads increase, thereby producing chronic staff shortages. Nursing managers can commit to their role in designing and maintaining strategies for effective management of human resources for health. The purpose of the current study was to explore and determine the views of nurse managers regarding staff turnover and retention, and make recommendations to improve nurse retention. An exploratory, descriptive, qualitative study was conducted using purposive sampling to select nurse managers at a selected hospital in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with 18 nurse managers from the hospital. The FGDs were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis from which four themes were generated, namely: staff turnover challenges; current retention strategies; measures to improve retention; and strategies to strengthen management. The participants believed that excessive workload and the lack of human resources compromised the quality and efficiency of patient care. Retention strategies recommended included: improving benefits and rewards; increasing staff development; developing nursing support systems; maintaining adequate resources for optimal functioning; using emerging technology applications; and strengthening leadership roles. The current study revealed weak retention measures in the selected hospital and recommended new and improved retention measures to retain nurses and curtail turnover.