Barriers to Conducting and Publishing Scientific Research among Nursing Staff at King Abdulaziz Hospital, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Nursing research and scholarly publication underpin evidence-based practice, yet many nurses report barriers that limit their engagement in conducting and disseminating research. Data on these barriers among hospital-based nurses in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province remain limited. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the barriers nurses face in conducting and publishing scientific research at King Abdulaziz Hospital, Al-Ahsa; to assess the impact of these barriers; and to examine their association with nurses' socio-demographic and professional characteristics. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 127 nursing staff (33.0% response rate from a target population of 385), recruited via convenience sampling. Data were collected using a 45-item structured, self-administered questionnaire adapted from Hakami (2023) and distributed through Microsoft Forms. Thirty-four barrier items were scored on a 4-point scale (strongly disagree = 0, disagree = 0, agree = 1, strongly agree = 2); an overall score ≥ 60% of the maximum was classified as “high barrier.” Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, independent-samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA were used (α = .05). Results: Respondents were predominantly female (90.6%) and non-Saudi (85.8%), with a mean age of 40.9 years (SD = 9.3). The most highly endorsed barriers were limited training courses on publishing (85.0% agreement), insufficient time to conduct research (82.7%), high cost of publication (83.5%), and lack of clarity around journal guidelines (89.8%). Only 10 respondents (7.9%) met the high-barrier threshold overall; mean total barrier score was 25.6 (SD = 12.9) of 68 (37.7% of maximum). No demographic variable was significantly associated with the high/low barrier classification, although age group was significantly associated with the continuous barrier score, F(3, 123) = 3.80, p = .012, with nurses younger than 30 years reporting the highest scores. Conclusion: Structural and institutional barriers — particularly insufficient training, time, and financial support — are more salient than personal writing or language barriers among this nursing population. Targeted institutional interventions, especially for early-career nurses, are recommended to strengthen nursing research capacity.