Absenteeism and Labor Abandonment: Challenges in the Management the Nursing Care in Nicaragua

Absenteeism and job abandonment in nursing are a social phenomenon that impacts the quality of patient care and human resource management. The objective was to analyze the experience of nursing management with absenteeism and job abandonment at the Comandante Camilo Ortega Saavedra Hospital. This qualitative research is based on the interpretive sociocritical paradigm, with a phenomenological approach. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to four key informants, achieving data saturation. The analysis was conducted with Atlas.Ti using frequency networks and a Sankey diagram. Five categories and 154 codes emerged. The main causes of absenteeism are illness, breastfeeding, burnout, and work-related stress, along with the search for better pay. Job abandonment is associated with migration and new jobs. Management perceives these behaviors as indiscipline and unethical, which impacts quality and patient safety. Current strategies are corrective policies. Management faces a significant challenge by not having a comprehensive strategic plan that addresses the physical and emotional well-being of staff, a key aspect of mitigating this problem and improving patient care.