Revista de Enfermagem e Cuidados

Quality of Nursing Care in Saudi Arabia: Needs for Improvement

Abstract

Abbas Al Mutair

Aims: To discuss the need to improve the quality of health care by nurses as well as the need to improve safety in the delivery of patient care and evidence based nursing practice in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Quality improvement in Saudi Arabia has become a major focus within health care, especially in the areas of regulatory quality, quality assurance, quality improvement and patient safety. The issues and trends affecting nursing care today are increasingly complex and dynamic.

Results: The need to improve quality is highly required in Saudi Arabian health care settings because many shortcomings are being reported every day like nursing and medical errors. The lack of quality is due to many reasons such as the absence of positive organizational climate and culture, no clear mission, vision, values and policies. The abovementioned weaknesses in quality improvement and patient safety emphasize the significance of evidence based practice in order to study their origins and overcome them. The implementation of evidence based practice would ultimately helps in promoting the professional image of nursing in the hospitals in Saudi Arabia and accordingly improves the nursing and hospital performance.

Conclusion and implications: The nursing departments should obligate to provide all people of Saudi Arabia a safe and caring environment and optimum nursing services to patients. The nursing departments are also required to demonstrate the highest quality of care supported by professional development. This should be collaborated with the other healthcare providers and supported by evidence based practice. Nurses provide the majority of patient care, they must be empowered to continuously improve care and service for meeting quality of patient care.