Primary medical staff (PMS) are the guardians of population health. However, their loss further worsens the shortage and uneven distribution of human health resources, which should be addressed immediately. This study aimed to investigate the current status of turnover intention of rural PMS in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) in China and its influencing factors atthe individual and institutional levels to provide reliable baseline data for intervention strategies to protect valuable rural PMS.
Participants were recruited from rural public health institutions of the XPCC using a cross-sectional multistage sampling process. Data on participants’ turnover intention and individual- and institution-level indicators were obtained through standardized electronic questionnaires and statistical reports of regional health administrative departments. The key factors influencing PMS turnover intention were identified us ingunivariateandmulti-level logistic regression analysis.
Overall, 20.5% (447/2182) of participants reported turnover intention. Univariate analysis showed that the occurrence of turnover intention was significantly influenced by marriage, education, age, year of working, monthly income, human resource management practices (HRMP), job satisfaction,
Government-run primary medical institutions face the risk of PMS turnover intention. From a personal perspective, the high-risk population fortheturnover intention was mainly the PMS with bachelor’s degrees or above and intermediate professional titles. The low-risk population was the PMS with aged over 40 years, a higher evaluation of human resource management practice, and job satisfaction. From the perspective of primary medical institutions, larger institutions can reduce the turnover intention of individuals, whereas the size of the service population has the opposite effect.