O’Brien-Pallas, L., Murphy, G.T., & Shamian, J. (2010). Understanding the Costs and Outcomes of Nurses’ Turnover in Canadian Hospitals. Canadian Health Services Research Foundation.Retrieved from http://www.hhrchair.ca/images/CMSImages/TOS_Final%20Report.pdf.

The study’s goal was to understand the incidence of nurse turnover and its cost by examining the loss of human capital as nurses leave and lost productivity as new nurses are orientated. This study explored how nursing turnover impacted patient satisfaction and safety; nurse satisfaction, health and safety; and system outcomes. It is hoped the evidence will help hospitals, health care stakeholders and governments gauge the impact of potential interventions on turnover costs, outcomes and predictors within their participating hospitals and nursing units.

Primary data was collected from over 41 hospitals across Canada during March 2005 to August 2006. HLM and descriptive statistics were employed to conduct the data analysis. The overall study results are highlighted in the TOS Final Report.