Perception of Shared Governance Among Registered Nurses in Ambulatory Care Center at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Saudi Arabia

Background Shared governance is considered a model for mounting autonomous decision making in nursing profession and practice. This study aimed to assess how registered nurses in an outpatient department in a tertiary care hospital perceive shared governance. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among a convenient sample of registered nurses in an outpatient department. A self-administered, Index of Professional Nursing Governance (IPNG) questionnaire was used to measure the study outcome. A descriptive analysis was used to describe nurses' characteristics and study outcomes. Results A total of 186 nurses completed the questionnaire. Of whom, 151 (92.1%) were female, and 78 (47.3%) were aged between 20 and 30 years. Only 54 (29.3%) and 59 (31.7%) had indicated a shared decision in terms of controls and influence scales, respectively. The majority of the nurses indicated traditional shared across shared governance scales except in the access information scale. Conclusion The findings showed a prevalent traditional nursing management style in the study setting. Supportive strategies and education must be provided for both managers and staff nurses to develop and implement shared governance in their practice.