Head Nurses’ Perceptions of Factors Affecting Quality of Nursing Care in the Riyadh Region: A Cross-sectional Study

Background and Aims: Delivering quality nursing care is an important priority for nursing heads worldwide. This study explored the perceptions of head nurses regarding factors affecting the quality of nursing care in the Riyadh region. Methods: This cross-sectional study used a convenience sampling technique to randomly select head nurses from 10 hospitals (n=220). Eligible participants were asked to complete a 22-item online questionnaire on socio-demographics and rated factors affecting the quality of nursing care on a 5-point Likert scale. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and bivariate (two-tailed) Pearson’s correlations with SPSS software (version 27.0). Results: This study included 176 head nurses, mostly males (65.3%), aged 30 or older (73.9%), married (57.4%), with a bachelor’s in nursing (43.2%), and extensive nursing and leadership experience. Significant positive associations were observed between age and marital status (p=0.027), education level (p<0.001), years of nursing practice (p<0.001), and years of nurse leadership (p<0.001). Key factors impacting nursing care quality included work experience (mean, standard deviation [SD]: 3.040 [1.341]), satisfaction (3.006 [1.263]), and work-related burnout (3.006 [1.320]). Workload, resources, location, and language barriers had minimal impact. Conclusions: This study found a significant association between socio-demographic factors and the quality of nursing care. Head nurses perceived that work experience, satisfaction, and work-related burnout were the key factors affecting the quality of nursing care. Furthermore, organizational support was key to improving the quality of nursing care. Collaboration between government and facility managers may serve as a potential approach to improving nursing care standards in the Riyadh region.