ArticleBMJ open2026
Perceived importance of recruitment and retention measures for bachelor-qualified nurses in German hospitals: mixed-methods study.
Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesHospitals across Europe are under pressure to recruit and retain a well-qualified nursing workforce amid ongoing shortages. The study aimed to assess the perspective of bachelor-qualified (BSN) nurses compared with vocationally educated nurses on the relative importance of various recruitment and retention (R&R) measures to determine tailored, suitable R&R measures according to BSN-specific needs.
designA convergent mixed-methods study combining a survey and semi-structured interviews through triangulation, conducted as part of the BSN4Hospital study. SETTING AND
participantsBSN and 3-year vocationally educated nurses were surveyed in 22 German hospitals with R&R strategies and above-average numbers of BSN. In addition, interviews took place with BSN, chief nursing officers (CNO) and nurse scientists and those working in strategic units (NSC/other). MEASUREMENT: The survey included items related to R&R (work environment, onboarding, salary, shift work, work-life-balance, leadership, roles, tasks), perceived importance and the top three R&R measures. Interviews focused on targeted R&R measures, implementation and challenges.
resultsA total of 1856 nurses participated in the survey (282 BSN and 1574 vocationally educated nurses). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 individuals (6 BSN, 8 CNO and 5 NSC/other). On recruitment measures, a significantly higher proportion of BSN (82.6% vs 52.7% of vocationally educated nurses, p<0.001) rated salary according to nurses' qualifications as highly important. Good teamwork and work-life-balance were valued similarly by both groups. Additional recruitment measures emanating from the interviews were BSN-specific onboarding, mentorships, targeted job advertisements outlining BSN profiles, hospital networking and external communication strategies. On retention, in addition to salary, a higher proportion of BSN (63.8% vs 40.1%, p<0.001) highly rated individual career opportunities, advanced clinical tasks (59.9% vs 32.0%, p<0.001), independence (55.3% vs 47.8%, p=0.020) and practice development projects (47.5% vs 20.0%, p<0.001). The interviews underlined the importance of clinical career opportunities, expanded roles and protected time for additional tasks. Multiple measures were identified as relevant for both R&R.
conclusionSeveral R&R measures specific for BSN were identified suggesting that a tailored approach is needed. An integrated management approach that recognises BSN qualifications can support workforce stability and high-quality patient care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.