Relationship Between Perceived Organizational Support and Nurses' Intention to Leave the Profession in Tertiary Care Hospitals of Lahore

Abstract

Background: The nursing profession faces a persistent global workforce shortage, driven in part by nurses' intention to leave the profession entirely rather than simply changing employers. Perceived organizational support (POS), employees' belief that their organization values their contribution and cares about their wellbeing, is among the most consistently studied predictors of this intention, yet evidence directly examining this relationship among nurses in Lahore's public tertiary care hospitals has remained limited. Objectives: To assess the level of perceived organizational support among nurses working in tertiary care hospitals of Lahore, and to determine its relationship with nurses' intention to leave the profession. Methodology: A quantitative, analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 375 registered nurses across four major public-sector tertiary care hospitals of Lahore, selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire comprising the 8-item Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS) and the 12-item Anticipated Turnover Scale (ATS). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26; Pearson's correlation examined the relationship between POS and intention to leave, and independent-samples t-tests and ANOVA compared scores across demographic subgroups. Results: Most nurses reported moderate perceived organizational support (71.5%), with 24.5% reporting low and only 4.0% reporting high support; correspondingly, 36.0% of nurses reported high intention to leave the profession and 63.5% moderate. A statistically significant, moderate negative correlation was found between POS and intention to leave (r = -0.431, p < 0.001). POS and intention to leave also differed significantly by years of experience, professional qualification, hospital, and department (all p < 0.001), while gender and marital status showed no significant association. Conclusion: Perceived organizational support was significantly and inversely related to nurses' intention to leave the profession in Lahore's public tertiary care hospitals, with early-career nurses and specific institutions and departments appearing particularly vulnerable. Strengthening organizational support may serve as a meaningful, modifiable strategy for improving nurse retention in this setting.