Job satisfaction, burnout, and turnover intention among primary care providers in rural China: results from structural equation modeling

Abstract

Background Low job satisfaction, severe burnout and high turnover intention are found to be prevalent among the primary care providers (PCPs) in township health centers (THCs), but their associations have received scant attention in the literature. In light of this, this study aims to examine the relationships between job satisfaction, burnout and turnover intention, and explore the predictors of turnover intention with a view to retaining PCPs in rural China. Methods Using the multistage cluster sampling method, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in Shandong Province, China. 1148 PCPs from 47 THCs participated in this study. Job satisfaction, burnout and turnover intention were measured with a multifaceted instrument developed based on the existing literature, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the participants’ responses to a Likert item drawn from the literature, respectively. The relationships of the three factors were examined using Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling, while the predictors of turnover intention were investigated using multivariate logistic regression. Results The subscale that the PCPs were most dissatisfied with was job rewards (95.12%), followed by working environment (49.65%) and organizational management (47.98%). The percentages of the PCPs reporting high-levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment were 27.66, 6.06, and 38.74%, respectively. About 14.06% of the respondents had high turnover intention. There was a significant direct effect of job satisfaction on burnout (γ = − 0.52) and turnover intention (γ = − 0.29), a significant direct effect of burnout on turnover intention (γ = 0.28), and a significant indirect effect (γ = − 0.14) of job satisfaction on turnover intention through burnout as a mediator. Work environment satisfaction, medical practicing environment satisfaction, and organizational management satisfaction proved to be negative predictors of turnover intention (p < 0.05), whereas reduced personal accomplishment was identified as a positive predictor (p < 0.05). Conclusions Plagued by low job satisfaction and severe burnout, the PCPs in rural China may have high turnover intentions. Job satisfaction had not only negative direct effects on burnout and turnover intention, but also an indirect effect on turnover intention through burnout as a mediator. Targeted strategies should be taken to motivate and retain the PCPs.

Mediation role of perceived social support and burnout on financial satisfaction and turnover intention in primary care providers: a cross-sectional study

“…The results showed that primary care providers were generally dissatisfied with their financial situation. This finding was consistent with a previous study that found primary care providers were the least satisfied with their income [ 38 ]. Since 1980, primary care providers in China have been able to charge a 15% markup on drug sales, but this was abolished in 2017 because of over-prescribing of drugs.…”

Mediation Role of Social Support and Burnout Between Financial Satisfaction and Turnover Intention in Primary Care Providers: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The results showed that primary care providers were generally dissatis ed with their nancial situation. This nding was consistent with a previous study that found primary care providers were the least satis ed with their income [33]. Since 1980, primary care providers in China have been able to charge a 15% markup on drug sales, but this was abolished in 2017 because of over-prescribing of drugs.…”

More public health service providers are experiencing job burnout than clinical care providers in primary care facilities in China

“…Although these studies indicate an increased prevalence of burnout [21][22][23], they are limited as they mostly focus on a specific setting (e.g. township health centres representing rural areas or community health centres representing urban areas) [21,22,24,25] or on regional (e.g. city or provincial level) contexts [19,26,27]; these studies pay little attention to different types of PC providers and define PC providers by their job category as opposed to their type of service provision.…”