Enhancing Employee Engagement in a Healthcare Organization: A Key Strategy to Reduce Turnover and Enhance Patient Care Quality
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Authors
Mulugeta, Fesseha
Issue Date
2026-04
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Educational Leadership & Learning Lifelong , Patient Care , Turnover , Engagement
Alternative Title
Abstract
Employee turnover in healthcare organizations is a significant issue that hinders patient care and undermines workforce stability. This qualitative phenomenological research paper examined the lived experiences of medical workers regarding their professional interactions with high turnover and the subsequent consequences for the quality of patient care. The present study was theoretically grounded in the job demand-resources model, social exchange theory, conservation of resources theory, and self-determination theory, which informed the interpretation of engagement and turnover among medical professionals in their organizations. Data collection involved 21 healthcare professionals selected through purposive criterion sampling, with open-ended questionnaires as the primary instrument. The sample consisted of nurses, physicians, administrators, and allied health workers. The findings indicated a self-reinforcing cycle of resource depletion: high turnover functioned as a job demand, eroding employee morale and increasing workload. This strain, compounded by resource deficits such as low recognition and poor promotion prospects, fostered burnout and disengagement. Ultimately, these factors compromised patient care—manifesting as a loss of clinical vigilance—and triggered the decision to exist, illustrating the "loss spiral" predicted by conservation of resources theory. These findings underscore the critical link between the professional's level of engagement and the clinical risks identified in contemporary literature, including patient safety breaches and medical errors. The results provide a strategic roadmap for administrators to mitigate turnover and elevate the standard of care by reinvesting in workplace culture and transformational leadership.