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

Background/Objective: Despite the vital role of nurses in health policy development, their involvement and influence in such development remain challenging. The involvement of nurse managers in health policy development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is not well examined. This study examined the extent of involvement of nurse managers in health policy development in the KSA and identified related barriers, benefits, confidence, and perceived impacts. Methods: A descriptive correlational cross-sectional design was used to achieve the study aim and objectives. An electronic self-administered questionnaire (Registered Nurses Involvement in Health Policy) was distributed to nurse managers working in the KSA. A total convenience sample of 238 nurse managers willingly and voluntarily agreed to participate. Data were collected from 10 February 2022 to 30 April 2022. Descriptive statistics and the Spearman rho correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. Results: Among 238 nurse managers surveyed, 58% had received policy-related training, 73% reported high involvement as professionals, and 43% rated their confidence as high. Findings show the high level of involvement in health policy development of the nurse managers and their increased interest in influencing health policies. The policy activity most frequently chosen by the nurse managers is "provided health policy-related information to consumers or other professionals." Moreover, the participants reported "lack of time, support, and resources" as their most perceived barrier and "improving public health" as their most perceived benefit. The majority of the nurse managers reported receiving information or training on health policies, and more than half of the participants rated their skills as "very good" or "excellent." Our findings show the participants' moderate level of confidence in performing health policy activities and moderate level of their perceived impact of their involvement in health policy activities on health outcomes. The results indicate a positive relationship between health outcomes and the ability of the nurse managers to influence health policy activities. Conclusions: The study findings suggest that Saudi nurse managers are increasingly engaged in policy development, but greater institutional support and targeted training are needed to strengthen their policy impact.