TRENDS AND DEMAND FOR NURSING IN EMERGENCY ROOMS IN SAUDI ARABIA: CHALLENGES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Abstract
Nursing practice in Saudi Arabia especially in the emergency rooms (ERs) has expanded in the last twenty years and faced various challenges. This paper analyzes the pattern and prospect of the job along with the demands and challenges that ER nurses of Saudi Arabia encounter focusing on the forces that have influences on these dynamics and consequences for Saudi Arabian healthcare organizations. Determining areas of focus involves an assessment of surveys, case studies, and other publications which have been issued in the period between the year 2000 and 2022 inclusive, the primary areas of focus include staffing levels, job satisfaction, educational requirements for workers, and localization of workforce strategies.
Previous researches have established that optimal nurse staffing has been noted to be effective in providing the best standard of care in the emergency department (Alharthi et al., 2021). While the government has tried to improve the number of workers in the healthcare system the issues like high turnover and dissatisfied employees still exist (Al-Dossary et al. 2012, Al-Saadi & Alotaibi 2016). To deal with these concerns, the Saudi government over the years has adopted certain policies such as Saudization policy and investment into nursing education programs. However, the integration of expatriate nurses is still crucial to address some of these gaps in the shorter-term (Alsadaan et al., 2021).
The following are the key contributions of Vision 2030 on the subject of focus, the healthcare sector; To enhance service quality and workforce sustainability through the processes of digitization and privatization. Also, the requirement of specialized nursing positions in the ER has led to concerns with the professional growth of, and practice requirements for, registered nurses and the need to update their knowledge through advanced education and training (Aljohani, 2019).
The author presents a report on policy strategies which would assist policy makers and administration associated with healthcare to enhance nurse workforce in ERs underlining the aspects of job satisfaction, staff adequacy and continuing education. By improving policies and practices in these crucial sectors, Saudi Arabia has the opportunity to build a stable and effective healthcare system that will cater for the people’s needs in future.
