Volume 30, Issue 169, March 2026

The knowledge of nurses, skills, and personal attributes for providing competent health education practice, and its influencing factors: a crosssectional study in Saudi Arabia

Adel Jamaan Alzahrani, Ahmed Abdullah Alghamdi^♦, Ahamed Mohammed Alghamdi, Mohammed Abaid Alharbi, Abdullah Tareq Alhemiary

King Abdulaziz University faculty of nursing, Saudi Arabia

^♦Corresponding author
Ahmed Abdullah Alghamdi, King Abdulaziz University faculty of nursing, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Background: Nurses play a key role in delivering health education in hospital and community settings; however, their competence is influenced by various personal and institutional factors. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, skills, and personal attributes of hospital nurses concerning health education competence in Saudi Arabia, as well as to investigate the related sociodemographic and occupational factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 450 clinical nurses from public and private healthcare institutions in Saudi Arabia. Nurses’ health education competence was assessed using the Nurse Health Education Competence Instrument (I-CEpSE), which measures knowledge, skills, and personal attributes. Descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to examine associations with sociodemographic, professional, and training factors. Results: The study included 450 nurses (median age 38 years; 58.2% male), with 70.9% receiving formal health education training. Median scores were 69 for knowledge, 79 for skills, and 27 for attitude. Conclusion: Nurses demonstrated strong practical skills but showed gaps in theoretical knowledge and attitudes. Health education competence is influenced by factors such as age, experience, clinical setting, and training. These findings highlight the need for targeted educational interventions and organizational support, particularly in high-acuity settings such as ICUs.

Keywords: health education, nursing competence, knowledge, skills, attitudes, patient education, Saudi Arabia, cross-sectional study

Medical Science, 2026, 30, e58ms3840

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v30i169.e58ms3840

Published: 25 March 2026