Reimagining community health nursing: a qualitative participatory action research study of nurse-led primary healthcare innovation in rural Saudi Arabia

Faihan F. Alshaibany, Bader M. Almutairy, Waleed M Alshehri, Abdulaziz M. Alodhailah, Thurayya Eid · 2026 · BMC Nursing

Summary. Nurses in rural Saudi Arabia drive primary healthcare innovation through locally grounded, relationship-centered changes. Using participatory action research with 12 rural nurses, the study identified four themes: frontline leadership, co-creating solutions with communities, adapting to rural constraints, and organizational support. Nurses implemented ten practice innovations targeting care continuity and efficiency. Sustainability succeeded when innovations were simple and embedded into routine workflows. The findings show nurses as key agents for equitable rural healthcare transformation.

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@article{alshaibany-2026-reimagining-community-health-nursing-qualitative,
  title   = {Reimagining community health nursing: a qualitative participatory action research study of nurse-led primary healthcare innovation in rural Saudi Arabia},
  author  = {Faihan F. Alshaibany and Bader M. Almutairy and Waleed M Alshehri and Abdulaziz M. Alodhailah and Thurayya Eid},
  journal = {BMC Nursing},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.1186/s12912-026-04510-5},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-026-04510-5}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Reimagining community health nursing: a qualitative participatory action research study of nurse-led primary healthcare innovation in rural Saudi Arabia
AU  - Faihan F. Alshaibany
AU  - Bader M. Almutairy
AU  - Waleed M Alshehri
AU  - Abdulaziz M. Alodhailah
AU  - Thurayya Eid
JO  - BMC Nursing
PY  - 2026
DO  - 10.1186/s12912-026-04510-5
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-026-04510-5
ER  - 

Details

DOI

10.1186/s12912-026-04510-5

Countries

Saudi Arabia

Categories

rural-healthcare, innovation-networks, general-innovation

Added

2026-04-29