Work environment characteristics as perceived by nurses in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Summary: The environment that contains; skilled nursing leadership who empowers their staff and improves their autonomy also allowing them to participate in the department and organizational policy, good nurse-doctor relationship, adequate resources and skilled mix staffing, play an essential role to enhance control over nursing practice.Aim: The aim of this study was to identify nurses’ perception of work environment characteristics.Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive research design was used throughout this study. A quota sampling technique was used to recruit the participants (staff nurses and first-line nurse managers) from King Fahd Medical City in Saudi Arabia, who was asked to complete the tool; Perceived Environment Scale-Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI).Findings: 465 nurses participated in this study; 364 were from nurses and 101 from nurse managers, most of the participants were female. Participants were moderately high perceived to their work environments, and there was an association between the characteristics of participants in relation with the work environment.Conclusion: The current study concluded that the nurses' perception of work environment characteristics was moderately high.