TURNOVER INTENTION AMONG SPECIALIST MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS IN SABAH: A STATEWIDE MULTICENTER CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37268/mjphm/vol.22/no.3/art.1446Keywords:
Specialist medical practitioners, Job satisfaction, Turnover intention, Malaysia, SabahAbstract
Movement of highly skilled physicians from the public sector to the private sector is interrupting progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and subsequently Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). There is insufficient information to understand factors associated with turnover intention among specialist medical practitioners in Sabah, a state in Malaysia with the least number of clinical specialists for all specialties. This study intended to determine prominent factors affecting turnover intention using a cross sectional study conducted among Ministry of Health’s specialist medical practitioners across Sabah. Respondents were chosen using convenience sampling technique to complete a self-administered questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic information, work characteristics, the 10 item Warr-Cook-Wall (WCW) job satisfaction scale, a question on private sector employment offer and turnover intention. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were used to identify significant factors affecting turnover intention. A total of 101 completed questionnaires were analysed. A total of 75 (74.3%) respondents were younger than 40 years old and 57 (56.4%) of them were male. Almost one third (31.7%) of specialist medical practitioners in Sabah were actively seeking alternative employment. Factors associated with turnover intention were low job satisfaction score (t = 3.516, 95% CI 2.64-9.49, p < 0.005) and career development opportunities (x² = 5.766, p < 0.05). Turnover intention among specialist medical practitioners in Sabah was significantly associated with low job satisfaction and dissatisfaction with career development opportunity. There is a dire need for an effective retention strategy to retain these limited highly skilled health personnel
References
WHO. Framing the health workforce agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals. 2017.
Campbell J, Dussault G, Buchan J, Pozo-Martin F, Guerra Arias M, Leone C, et al. A universal truth: No health without a workforce. Forum Rep Third Glob Forum Hum Resour Heal Glob Heal Work Alliance World Heal Organ. 2013;104.
WHO. Health workforce requirements for universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals. Hum Resour Heal Obs Ser. 2016;(17):1–40.
MOH. Human Resources For Health Country Profiles 2015 Malaysia. 2015. 114 p.
Planning Division MOH. Human Resources for Health Country Profiles Malaysia (2015-2018). Planning Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia. 2020.
Muhammed Akunjee AA. Healthcare under sanctions in Iraq: An elective experience. Med Confl Surviv [Internet]. 2002;18(3). Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13623690208409633
DOSM. Vital Statistics Malaysia 2017. 2018.
Hom PW. Reviewing Employee Turnover:Focusing on Proximal Withdrawal States and an Expanded Criterion. Psychol Bull. 2012;138(5):831–58.
Israel GD. Determining Sample Size. In: PEOD Fact Sheet [Internet]. University of Florida; 1992. Available from: https://a7852d97-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/estadisticayunpocomas/tamañomuestra.pdf?attachauth=ANoY7crnAD7mETolM90ANtw386xg4UUgxczRU6V_Vl-m2k2w275QVM2eoCzjz-b0ZOguq4hU0RoSIDXaQe0pFJiaLYiy-PnvB0cH_RUzhyQDyvzJyOhnWLPsd8UPRViZyRAsaq9kKRBNriEmOC
Roslan JMG, Noor Hazilah AM, Nor Filzatun B, Azahadi MO. Turnover intention among public sector health workforce: Is job satisfaction the issue? Int Med J Malaysia. 2014;13(1):51–6.
Ali Jadoo SA, Aljunid SM, Dastan I, Tawfeeq RS, Mustafa MA, Ganasegeran K, et al. Job satisfaction and turnover intention among Iraqi doctors - A descriptive cross-sectional multicentre study. Hum Resour Health [Internet]. 2015;13(1):1–11. Available from: ???
Peter Warr, John Cook TW. Scales for the Measurement of Some Work Attitudes and Aspects of Psychological Well-Being. J Occup Psychol [Internet]. 1979; Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.2044-8325.1979.tb00448.x
Mobley WH, Horner SO HA. An Evaluation of Precursor of Hospital Employee Turnover. J Appl Psychol. 1978;63(4).
Nunnaly JC BI. Psychometric Theory. 1994.
Heritage B, Pollock C, Roberts LD. Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Warr, Cook, and Wall’s (1979) Job Satisfaction Scale. Aust Psychol. 2015;50(2):122–9.
Tsai YH, Huang N, Chien LY, Chiang JH, Chiou ST. Work hours and turnover intention among hospital physicians in Taiwan: does income matter? BMC Health Serv Res [Internet]. 2016;16(1):1–8. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12913-016-1916-2
Zhang Y, Feng X. The relationship between job satisfaction, burnout, and turnover intention among physicians from urban state-owned medical institutions in Hubei, China: a cross-sectional study [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2020 Jul 25]. Available from: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/11/235
Ali AH, D.Clint. Job Satisfaction and Intention to Leave Among Critical Care Nurses in Saudi Arabia Hajar Ali Alasmari , RN , MN and Clint Douglas , RN , PhD School of Nursing & Midwifery , Queensland University of Technology Sources of funding : Hajar Ali Alasmari was th. Job Satisf Intent to Leave among Crit Care Nurses Saudi Arab. 2012;6:3–12.
Bonenberger M, Aikins M, Akweongo P, Wyss K. The effects of health worker motivation and job satisfaction on turnover intention in Ghana: A cross-sectional study. Hum Resour Health. 2014;12(1):1–12.
Riaz A. Factors Affecting Turn-Over Intentions of Doctors in Public Sector Medical Colleges and Hospitals Factors Affecting Turn-Over Intentions of Doctors in Public Sector Medical Colleges and Hospitals. 2015;(July).
El-Jardali F, Dimassi H, Dumit N, Jamal D, Mouro G. A national cross-sectional study on nurses’ intent to leave and job satisfaction in Lebanon: Implications for policy and practice. BMC Nurs. 2009;8:1–13.
Dawwas MIF, Zahare I. Testing the Relationship between Turnover Intention and Human Resource Practices in a non-Western context of the Palestine Article Info. J Adv Soc Res. 2014;4(6):10–22.
NST. Malaysia needs more medical specialists, says Khairy. 2020 [cited 2021 Nov 8]; Available from: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/09/727421/malaysia-needs-more-medical-specialists-says-khairy
Rasiah R, Rosnah N, Abdullah W, Tumin M. Markets and Healthcare Services in Malaysia : Critical Issues. 2011;3(3):467–86.
Ashmore J. “Going private”: A qualitative comparison of medical specialists’ job satisfaction in the public and private sectors of South Africa. Hum Resour Health. 2013;11(1):1–12.
Luboga S, Hagopian A, Ndiku J, Bancroft E, Mcquide P. Satisfaction , motivation , and intent to stay among Ugandan physicians : a survey from 18 national hospitals. 2011;(April 2010):2–17.
Medical Development Division MM of H. Specialty & Subspecialty Framework Of Ministry of Health Hospitals Under 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-2020). 2016.
