Factors contributing to absenteeism of staff nurses at a tertiary military hospital in Gauteng Province, South Africa

Abstract

The study explores the factors that contribute to absenteeism among the staff nurses at the Tertiary Military Hospital in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. A qualitative explorative research design was used to explore the contributory factors to absenteeism as articulated by participants. The study population comprised all staff nurses who were on the duty roster of each ward. Systematic sampling method was used to select 18 participants from the duty rosters. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a guide. Tesch’s open-coding method was used to analyze data from which two themes and sub-themes emerged. Recommendations were made with regard to management support and staff development. The study found that the factors that contributes to absenteeism of staff nurses at 1 Tertiary Military Hospital include financial constraints, exhaustion and domestic conflicts and social challenges.