A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of social support on turnover intention in clinical nurses

Yan Chen; Xiang Zhou; Xue Bai; Beibei Liu; Fengzhi Chen; Lixia Chang; Hongli Liu

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1393024

Frontiers in Public Health (Jun 2024)

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of social support on turnover intention in clinical nurses

Yan Chen,
Xiang Zhou,
Xue Bai,
Beibei Liu,
Fengzhi Chen,
Lixia Chang,
Hongli Liu

Affiliations

Yan Chen: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
Xiang Zhou: School of Sociology and Political Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
Xue Bai: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
Beibei Liu: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
Fengzhi Chen: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
Lixia Chang: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
Hongli Liu: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1393024
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12

Abstract

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BackgroundNurse turnover has become a salient issue in healthcare system worldwide and seriously compromises patient outcomes. Social support is considered an effective contributor to alleviate nurse turnover intention (TI). However, the degree of correlation between social support and nurse TI remains elusive.AimsThis study aims to evaluate the strength of the effectiveness of social support on TI among nurses as well as its potential moderators.DesignThis systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.MethodsTo obtained qualified studies, two researchers searched Embase, PubMed, Web of science, CINAHL, CNKI, WanFang, and Chinese Medical Journal Full Text Database from inception to January 6, 2024. Meta-analysis, publication bias, and sensitivity analysis were carried out on the included studies using CMA 3.0 software, and the moderating effect was verified through meta-analysis of variance (ANOVA).ResultsA total of 38 studies were obtained, involving 63,989 clinical nurses. The comprehensive effect size of the random effect model showed a significant medium negative correlation between social support and TI among nurses (p < 0.001). The sample size and TI measurement tools significantly moderated the correlation between social support and TI (p < 0.050). However, nurse department, gender, data collection time, and social support measurement tools did not moderate the correlation between the two variables.ConclusionSocial support is negatively associated with TI in nurses. Nursing administrators and the medical community should fully recognize the importance of social support for nurses and take corresponding measures to enhance it, thereby reducing TI and ensuring the stability of the nursing team.

Published in Frontiers in Public Health

ISSN: 2296-2565 (Online)
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine: Public aspects of medicine
Website: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health

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