The Relationship Between Psychological Empowerment and Clinical Decision-Making Among Staff Nurses in Governmental Hospital in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background The Saudi Arabian government has published its 2030 vision for improving health care to meet worldwide standards for the nursing profession. To fulfill this vision, building large-scale healthcare facilities is necessary. Among the most common occupations, nursing is vital to health care systems. Although working in health care institutions is challenging, demanding, and comprehensive, they are created to save lives and enhance patient satisfaction. Therefore, health care organizations must seek to develop psychologically empowered and decision-making nurses who can help meet clients’ demands and enhance patient care, safety, quality, and outcomes. This study aims to determine the association between psychological empowerment (PE) and clinical decision-making (CDM) among staff nurses. Methods This study employed a quantitative cross-sectional correlation design. Three Saudi Ministry of Health-affiliated hospitals in the Al-Baha region were included. The sample size was calculated using the Raosoft online sample size calculator, with a total of 318 participants. The study sample included nurses working in inpatient, outpatient, and critical care departments. Convenience sampling techniques with inclusion and exclusion criteria were employed. An online survey with three sections was used for data collection: sociodemographic characteristics, the psychological empowerment instrument, and the nursing decision-making instrument. Data collection began at the beginning of February 2023 and was completed by the beginning of April 2023. Results The participants were 318 nurses working in critical areas, inpatient, and outpatient departments at three governmental hospitals in the Al-Baha region. Overall, 285 participants (89.6%) had a high level of PE, and the majority, 263 participants (82.7%), exhibited flexible-oriented decision-making. Approximately three-quarters of the sample, 281 participants (88.4%), were female, and more than half of the staff nurses, 187 participants (58.8%), were married. The majority of participants, 250 (78.6%), had a bachelor's degree. Regarding professional experience, most staff nurses, 134 participants (42.1%), had between one and five years of experience, and the majority worked in inpatient units, 160 participants (50.3%), while 104 (32.7%) worked in critical care. Conclusion The current study found a significant association between nurses’ PE and CDM. Nurses with the highest PE were the most flexible in their CDM. Moreover, the findings of this study offer some points that nurse managers and leaders can use to generate empowerment and make their staff better decision-makers. One recommendation is to develop training and coaching programs to enhance PE among staff nurses, thereby raising their work meaningfulness, which would reflect in better CDM. Additionally, this study recommends that future research be conducted to examine how PE affects CDM.