Will the demands by the covid-19 pandemic increase the intent to quit the profession of long-term care managers? A repeated cross-sectional study in Germany

Abstract

The Corona pandemic poses major demands for long-term care, which might have impacted the intention to quit the profession among managers of long-term care facilities. We used cross-sectional data of an online survey of long-term care managers from outpatient and inpatient nursing and palliative care facilities surveyed in April 2020 (survey cycle one; n = 532) and between December 2020 and January 2021 (survey cycle two; n = 301). The results show a significant association between the perceived pandemic-specific and general demands and the intention to leave the profession. This association was significantly stronger for general demands in survey cycle two compared with survey cycle one. The results highlight the pandemic’s immediate impact on long-term care. In view of the increasing number of people in need of care and the already existing scarcity of specialized nursing staff, the results highlight the need for initiatives to ensure the provision of long-term care, also and especially in such times of crisis.

This Was My Crimean War: COVID-19 Experiences of Nursing Home Leaders

“…One recent survey of nursing home managers (n ¼ 301) found that 1 in 5 considered quitting their profession often or very often during the pandemic. 42 This is consistent with career-ending dilemmas, which many of our participants revealed in why they considered leaving the sector. Leaders in our study were, on average, within 5-10 years of retirement.…”

A global overview of healthcare workers’ turnover intention amid COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review with future directions

“…The COVID-19 pandemic placed heavy pressure on healthcare systems, resulting in excessive job demands and tumultuous work environments. Increases in workload were widely found to be positively correlated with turnover intention among HCWs [ 38 , 45 , 55 , 56 ]. In addition, HCWs who worked long hours, or faced an increase in working hours due to the pandemic, were more prone to experiencing turnover intention [ 40 , 50 , 55 , 59 ].…”

Entscheidungen treffen in Pandemiezeiten

“…Für die Zukunft äußerten die Interviewten Befürchtungen bezüglich des Personaleinsatzes, u. a. dass erfahrene Mitarbeiter*innen als Reaktion auf die Pandemiekrise den Pflegeberuf verlassen könnten, eine Befürchtung, die sich mittlerweile national und international bestätigt hat [ 8 , 18 ]. Gebraucht würden klarere Information und Anordnungen zur Umsetzung von Maßnahmen der Infektionsprävention und -kontrolle, z.…”