The Mediating Role of Physical Therapists' Satisfaction With Helping Patients in the Relationship Between Work Support and Intention to Leave Their Current Employment

Importance. The wellbeing of physical therapists is crucial for retaining them at work as skilled professionals and ensuring high-quality patient care. Objective. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of perceived organizational support and peer support on physical therapists' intention to leave their current employment, mediated by their satisfaction with helping patients (ie, compassion satisfaction). Design. The design for this study was an online survey that included the short version of the Perceived Organizational Support scale, the Peer Support Scale, the Compassion Satisfaction Scale, and the Intent to Leave scale. The research used statistical analysis to explore the direct and indirect relationships between these variables. Setting. The setting for this study was health care organizations and private practices. Participants. Israeli registered physical therapists volunteered to participate. Main Outcomes. Regression analysis indicated that greater perceived organizational support and peer support were associated with lower intention to leave the current employment. Compassion satisfaction levels mediated the relationships between physical therapists' perceived organizational support, peer support, and intention to leave their current employment. Results. Two hundred ninety-three physical therapists completed the survey. Participants reported a medium level of perceived organizational support (mean = 2.86; range = 1–5); a high level of peer support (mean = 4.15; range = 1–5); a high level of compassion satisfaction (mean = 40.85; range = 10–50); and a low level of intention to leave their current employment (mean = 2.38; range = 1–5). Conclusions. The study shows the importance of fostering a supportive work environment and peer relationships to enhance physical therapists' satisfaction. The study attests to the contribution of the positive emotion physical therapists derive from helping patients as a protective factor against their intention to leave their current employment, contributing to the overall stability of the health care workforce. Relevance. Understanding the relations between perceived organizational support, peer support, and intention to leave current employment, as well as the role of compassion satisfaction, can help health care organizations and policymakers retain physical therapists.