Nurses’ Perception of Management Styles and Factors Influencing Retention of Nurses in Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Retention of health professionals in the health sector in Ghana is crucial to address the human resource needs of the health sector and to promote an efficient and effective healthcare system. Nurses are one of the key professionals whose role in the healthcare industry cannot be underestimated. This study assessed nurses’ perception of management styles and factors influencing the retention of nurses in Ghana. A cross-sectional quantitative descriptive survey was conducted among 135 Nurses at Akatsi Government Hospital and St Paul’s Hospital in the Akatsi municipality of Volta region of Ghana using a simple random sampling in selecting participants. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. Data was analyzed using STATA statistical software Version 14.2. Statistical significance was set at 0.05. Females dominated the study (68.89%). Most of the respondents (19.70%) strongly agreed that Nurse Managers exhibited a participatory management style. However, the majority (52.71%) of the respondents intended to leave their current facility. Nurses’ intention to leave was higher in a public hospital (55.45%) compared to the private hospital (45.95%). Salary and rewards were the major (39.53%) extrinsic factors that influenced the retention of nurses at work and self-motivation was the major (27.91%) intrinsic factor that contributed to nurses’ retention at work. Most of the respondents strongly agreed that managers practiced a participatory management style. Benevolent authoritative management style was statistically significant with nurses’ intention to leave.