Workplace Satisfaction and its Determinants among Healthcare Providers at University Hospital in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Job satisfaction is a critical component of effective healthcare delivery, as it is closely linked to staff retention, productivity, and the quality of patient care. This study aimed to assess the level of job satisfaction and its associated determinants among healthcare professionals at King Fahad University Hospital (KFHU), Saudi Arabia.
Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 332 healthcare professionals. Data was collected using a validated self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine differences in job satisfaction across demographic and job-related characteristics. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: A total of 332 healthcare professionals participated in the study; 52% were female, and 48.0% were male, with a mean age of approximately 35 years. The overall job satisfaction score was high (mean= 4.39 ± 0.84). Statistically significant differences in job satisfaction were observed across age, gender, educational level, professional specialty, and work experience (p< 0.05), whereas marital status showed no significant association. Higher satisfaction levels were reported among participants aged 21–30 years, those holding postgraduate qualifications, physicians, and staff with 2 to 10 years of work experience. Among job-related factors, pay and benefits, quality of care, and patient satisfaction received the highest mean scores, while working hours and work culture environment received comparatively lower scores.
Conclusion: Healthcare professionals at KFHU demonstrated generally high levels of job satisfaction. Strengthening promotion pathways, recognition systems, communication, and workload management may further enhance staff satisfaction, retention, and the quality of patient care.