10% increase in nurse responsibility improves retentions by 54%: Study

Nurses are less likely to leave when they have greater responsibility for patient care, according to an article published in Harvard Business Review.

The study followed 430 full-time ICU nurses at a large U.S. hospital over 26 months. Researchers analyzed data from the EHR to see nurses’ care activities, and used staffing, scheduling and HR data to determine the nurse workload on a granular level. The level of responsibility was defined as the number of patients a nurse was the primary provider for during a shift.

Here are the key findings:

1. A 10% increase in responsibility reduces the odds of quitting by more than 54%.

2. Nurses trusted with real responsibility reported feeling more central to the work on the unit, being seen by the organization as capable and important, and a deeper sense of ownership.

3. Nurses who received help from teammates during a shift had 40% lower odds of overtime-induced quitting and 22% lower work-pressure-triggered odds of quitting.

4. Leaders can apply these findings by training nurses to manage complex patients, operate sophisticated equipment and giving nurses latitude to use their clinical judgement.

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