Turnover Intention And Correlates Of Health Personnel At County And Township Levels In Yunnan

Objective:To understand the turnover intention of health personnel at county and township levels in Yunnan, and to explore the correlates, so as to provide basis to government in making policy of recruiting, keeping rural health personnel.Method:The qualitative and quantitative research methods were used in the study. All counties in Yunnan were divided into3groups based on the level of economic development by high, medium and low standard level, and one county was chosen in each group. All townships in each county were listed by population, and3townships were sampled by systematic sampling method. All public health institutions at county and township level were as survey sites. A self-filling questionnaire survey was conducted among all health staff in the survey day. Semi-structured interviews and key informant interviews were used to get the cause and suggestion of the health personnel turnover intention.Results:The total of493health personnel evolved in the study. There were104male staff and389female staff. The percentage of married was69.0%, minority occupied36.1%. The average age was33.12±9.324, with67.3%during their25～44years old. Proportions of subjects receiving undergraduate education, junior college education, medical high school and lower education were23.3%、48.8%and28.0%, respectively. The contents of health personnel at county and township level were72.82%and27.18%, respectively. About half of health personnel worked less than10years. The percentages of academic title of middle level and above, and junior level were25.0%and56.0%respectively; Personnel in medicine and nursing accounted for42.4%and32.7%, respectively. The percentage of personel’s income monthly less than2000yuan RMB was46.2%.Health personnel who had turnover intention was101, accounted for20.5%. Multiple Logistic Regression models indicated that salary and benefits, job satisfaction were negative correlation with the turnover intention, the difference between actual and expected average monthly income, the township hospital compared to county institutions were positive correlation with the turnover intention. Qualitative interviews showed that:the non-indigene, income and benefits, training opportunities, career development, and life conditions also affected the turnover intention of health personnel.Conclusion:the turnover intention of health workers are quite serious at county and township level, especially at township level. The correlates are working at township level, non-indigene, lower salary and benefits, big distance between actual and expected income, lower job satisfaction, and fewer career development opportunities. This study highlight suggests that employing local people, creasing salary and benefits appropriately, improving living condition, raising profession self-identity, belongingness, and job satisfaction will benefit keeping health personnel at county and township level.