Nurses quietly quit their job more often than other healthcare workers: an alarming issue for healthcare services

Abstract

Abstract Background: Quiet-quitting phenomenon in not new but has been frequently discussed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, the level of quiet quitting among healthcare workers (HCWs) has not been measured yet. Objective: To assess the level of quiet quitting among HCWs, and identify possible differences between nurses, physicians, and other HCWs. Moreover, we investigated the impact of socio-demographic variables, job burnout, and job satisfaction on quiet quitting levels. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of HCWs during June 2023. HCWs included nurses, physicians, dentists, pharmacists, midwives, psychologists, and physiotherapists that have been working in healthcare services. We measured socio-demographic characteristics of HCWs, job burnout with “Copenhagen Burnout Inventory”, job satisfaction with “Job Satisfaction Survey”, and quiet quitting with “Quiet Quitting” Scale. Results: Study population included 1760 HCWs with a mean age of 41.1 years. Among our sample, 57.9% were quiet quitters, while 42.1% were non quiet quitters. In particular, 67.4% of nurses were quiet quitters, while prevalence of quiet quitting for physicians and other HCWs were 53.8% and 40.3% respectively (p<0.001). Multivariable linear regression analysis identified that the levels of quiet quitting were higher among nurses than physicians and other HCWs. Moreover, greater job burnout contributed more to quiet quitting, while less satisfaction implied more quiet quitting. Shift HCWs, and those working in private sector experienced higher levels of quiet quitting. Additionally, we found a negative relationship between clinical experience and quiet quitting. Conclusions: More than half of our HCWs were described as quit quitters. Levels of quiet quitting were higher among nurses even when controlling for several confounders. Higher levels of job burnout and lower levels of job satisfaction were associated with higher levels of quiet quitting.