Nurse Managers’ Strategies to Reduce Absenteeism amongst Nurses at Selected Public Hospitals in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Nursing absenteeism is a global challenge creating an obstacle in the provision of quality patient care in most healthcare institutions. To ensure that the quality of patient care is not compromised, the potential reasons for nursing staff absenteeism must be thoroughly investigated. This will allow nurse managers to develop intervention methods to lower absenteeism.

The objective of this study is to explore and describe strategies that nurse managers can use to reduce nurses’ absenteeism at selected public hospitals in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

The study used a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive research design. A non-probability purposive sampling technique was employed to select participants for the study. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews using an interview guide until data saturation. Interviews were audio recorded, and field notes were taken to capture the non-verbal cues. Tesch's open coding approach was used for analysis with the involvement of an independent coder, where themes and sub-themes were developed. Measures to ensure trustworthiness were adhered to. The ethical issues were ensured throughout the study.

The study findings demonstrated that the hospital's ability to deliver quality patient care is hindered by nurses' absenteeism, which require strategies from nurse managers. The study recommends strategies nurse managers may utilize to improve absenteeism among nurses.

The study concluded that there is a need for hospital management to motivate for adequate human and material resources and to improve their managerial skills to effectively address absenteeism in line with hospital policies.