Professional Involvement in Health Policy Development: A Cross-Sectional Study on Nurse Managers in Saudi Arabia

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Nursing Management
• Public Health

Background:

• Nurses play a crucial role in health policy development, yet their involvement is often limited.
• The extent of nurse managers' participation in health policy development within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) requires further investigation.
• This study addresses the gap by examining nurse managers' involvement, barriers, benefits, confidence, and perceived impacts in KSA's health policy landscape.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the level of involvement of nurse managers in health policy development in the KSA.
• To identify the barriers, benefits, confidence levels, and perceived impacts associated with nurse managers' engagement in health policy.
• To explore the relationship between nurse managers' policy influence and health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive correlational, cross-sectional study design was employed.
• An electronic self-administered questionnaire, 'Registered Nurses Involvement in Health Policy,' was distributed to 238 nurse managers in the KSA.
• Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman rho correlation coefficient.

Main Results:

• A significant proportion of nurse managers (73%) reported high involvement in health policy as professionals, with 58% having received policy-related training.
• Commonly reported barriers included lack of time, support, and resources, while 'improving public health' was the most perceived benefit.
• Participants demonstrated moderate confidence and perceived moderate impact on health outcomes, with a positive correlation found between policy influence and health outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Saudi nurse managers are increasingly involved in health policy development, indicating a growing interest in influencing health policies.
• Despite high involvement, barriers such as limited time and resources hinder their full potential.
• Enhanced institutional support and targeted training are recommended to strengthen nurse managers' capacity and impact in health policy development.