Scope of Nursing Practice as Perceived by Nurses Working in Saudi Arabia

Khalid A. Aljohani, Majed S. Alamri, Reem AL-Dossary, Hamdan Albaqawi, Khaled Al Hosis, Mohammed S. Aljohani, Noura Almadani, Bader Alrasheadi, Rawaih Falatah, Joseph Almazan and Jalal Alharbi
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Khalid A. Aljohani: Department of Community Health Nursing, College of Nursing, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah 42356, Saudi Arabia
Majed S. Alamri: Nursing Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Hafr Albatin, Hafr Albatin 39524, Saudi Arabia
Reem AL-Dossary: Nursing Education Department, Nursing College, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 34221, Saudi Arabia
Hamdan Albaqawi: College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail 81491, Saudi Arabia
Khaled Al Hosis: Department of Nursing Education, Nursing College, Qassim University, Buraidah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed S. Aljohani: Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah 42356, Saudi Arabia
Noura Almadani: Community Health Nursing Department, College of Nursing, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 84428, Saudi Arabia
Bader Alrasheadi: Nursing Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah 15341, Saudi Arabia
Rawaih Falatah: Nursing Administration & Education Department, College of Nursing, King Saud University, Riyadh 11362, Saudi Arabia
Joseph Almazan: School of Medicine, Nazarbayev University, Nursultan 010000, Kazakhstan
Jalal Alharbi: Nursing Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Hafr Albatin, Hafr Albatin 39524, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-9

Abstract: The absence of scope of practice guidelines may lead to role ambiguity and legal consequences in nursing practice. This study measures the scope of practice of nurses in Saudi Arabia. The study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional design using an electronic version of the Arabic Actual Scope of Nursing Practice (A-ASCOP) questionnaire among 928 nurses. Descriptive analysis was followed by a t -test and an analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significance was assured through the Bonferroni test; the effect size was measured through partial η2 when appropriate. The A-ASCOP mean score of each dimension ranged from 4.29 to 4.72 (overall mean = 4.59). Significant overall ASCOP score variations were evident, with higher ASCOP among expatriate nurses, females, Hospital Operation Program (HOP) nurses, and nurses with postgraduate qualifications. Partial η2 showed a small effect of <0.016. Low-complexity nursing tasks showed insignificant differences no matter the nurse’s position, but were less practiced by Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and advanced-degree nurses than by those with a diploma education. High complexity of ASCOP was practiced significantly more often by postgraduate-prepared nurses than by diploma-educated nurses. The study showed that there is a range of variation in nursing practice, but that the lack of internal regulations (nursing scope of practice) has no effect on nursing duties. In a country such as Saudi Arabia, where massive national improvement initiatives are frequent, clearly defining the scope of practice for nurses is essential and needs to be done through government mandates. Further studies are essential to define what the scope of practice should include.

Keywords: scope of nursing practice; nursing needs; nurses; ministry of health; Saudi Arabia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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