Mediating role of nurse job enjoyment and participation in medical affairs on quality of patient care in Saudi hospitals

Abstract

PurposeThe study aims to investigate the nurse job enjoyment and their participation in medical affairs to enchance the quality of patient care in Saudi hospitals. In addition, this study also investigates the management team's role in patient care quality through the mediating effects of nurse job enjoyment and participation in medical affairs.Design/methodology/approachThe present study used a self-administered survey questionnaire to collect data from registered nurses in Saudi hospitals. In this study, 600 survey questionnaires were distributed online (Google Forms) and received 266 valid responses (44.33% response rate). In addition, SmartPLS-4.0 was applied to validate the research constructs and test the hypotheses via partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe study's findings indicate that the job enjoyment of the nurses and participation in medical affairs have positive and significant effects on the quality of patient care. In addition, the research findings also suggest that the management team of the hospitals has a significant indirect influence on the quality of patient care through the medicating effects of nurse job enjoyment and participation in medical affairs.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study also offer various practical implications. This study showed the direct impact of the management team on job enjoyment, medical affairs and patient care quality. Therefore, hospital authorities and policymakers may emphasise clear communication, collaboration, respect and trust for the effective management team in providing higher-quality patient care. The present study suggests that hospital policymakers should strive to create a positive work environment, provide adequate resources, foster team spirit, offer incentives and allow flexible scheduling to ensure higher job enjoyment and increase nurse participation in medical affairs.Originality/valueThis study adds to the growing body of knowledge by investigating the effects of the management team, job enjoyment and nurses' participation in medical affairs on patient care quality. This study also enhances the theoretical depth by exploring the mediating impact of job enjoyment in predicting the relationships between the management team and the quality of care provided to patients. The present study provides guidelines for healthcare service providers or practitioners to focus on the nurses' job enjoyment and their engagement in medical activities to continuously improve the quality of patient care in the hospitals.