Factors Influencing Turnover Intention among Public Hospital Pharmacists: A Cross-sectional Analytical Study in Health Region 8

Abstract

Objective: To investigate factors influencing turnover intention among pharmacists working in the hospitals under the Ministry of Public Health in Health Region 8. Methods: A cross-sectional analytic study was conducted with 272 pharmacists selected via quota sampling based on the proportion of pharmacists in each province and hospital size within Health Region 8. Data on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, adversity quotient and intention to leave the job were collected using online and mail questionnaires. The study used multiple regression analysis to create a predictive model. Results: The response rate was 44.08% (n = 272). Most respondents were female (78.30%), single (69.90%), and civil servants (91.20%) with an average monthly income of 35,001–45,000 THB (59.19%) and a mean age of 35.71 ± 5.71 years. Pharmacists reported low satisfaction with current achievement (mean = 2.28 ± 0.62 out of 5) and salary (mean = 1.86 ± 0.60 out of 5). Mean turnover intention within one year was 3.82 ± 0.83 from the full score of 5. The multiple regression model (adjusted R² = 0.093) identified the following significant predictors--higher behavioral commitment (β=-0.23) was associated with lower turnover intention, with married groups having lower turnover intention than single groups (β=-0.17), and high-salary groups having higher turnover intention than low-salary groups. Job satisfaction and adversity quotient did not significantly influence turnover intention. Conclusion: Behavioral commitment and marital status significantly influence turnover intention among pharmacists, while concerns regarding career advancement and compensation may also drive the decision to resign. Therefore, promoting organizational commitment alongside developing clear career paths may contribute to improved personnel retention.