ALKHOBAR: Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare brought together leaders, educators and practitioners at the Nursing Congress on Dec. 3-4 in Alkhobar to outline the future of the sector in Saudi Arabia.
The two-day event assessed the nursing sector’s progress toward Vision 2030 healthcare goals.
Themed “Driving a Culture of Excellence,” it focused on professional development, nursing leadership, and the growing role of technology and AI in improving patient outcomes.
The congress is part of JHAH’s Magnet journey, a globally recognized framework for nursing practice and organizational performance.
Speaking to Arab News, Baneen Al-Sawad, chair of the congress, said that the gathering reflected a shared goal of strengthening the profession.
“We established this congress to unite nurses from across the region to share knowledge, strengthen our shared governance structure and professional practice, and advance our collective commitment to exceptional patient care.”
She added that the event aligned with national priorities: “Our objectives align closely with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, advancing healthcare quality, investing in our nursing workforce, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence.”
Dr. Hani Ayyad, chief nursing officer at JHAH, emphasized the importance of clear systems and processes in achieving consistent results.
“This success is driven by first establishing a structure, followed by processes, which ultimately lead to outcom. Without this framework, you cannot achieve optimal results. You need structure, then process, then outcomes.”
Ayyad also highlighted the organization’s investment in continuous professional development. “We take nursing professional development very seriously,” he said.
“We have established a nursing education program accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with distinction, meaning the educational offerings at JHAH are on par with some of the best centers in the world.”
He said that the residency and internship programs attracted students from across the Kingdom, reflecting broader efforts to build a strong national workforce.
As healthcare becomes more digital, JHAH continues to adopt new systems while maintaining its focus on patient interaction.
“We actually believe in the human touch that nurses provide to our patients,” Ayyad said. “To enhance that connection, we use technology through our electronic medical record Epic, virtual nursing, and artificial intelligence in our communications with patients via MyChart messaging.”
Ayyad said that patient outcomes were closely linked to nursing staff engagement.
“Nurses spend the most time with our patients,” he said. “To drive outcomes, we must have fully engaged nursing staff aligned with the hospital’s mission and vision. Nurses lead patient experience and outcomes — they go hand-in-hand.”
He added that leadership accountability was a key factor. “We hold ourselves accountable as nurse leaders for high levels of nursing engagement, which leads to high levels of patient experience and outcomes."
In closing, Ayyad said that the congress supported the sector’s broader transformation.
“This event brings talents from across the globe, all coming together for one purpose; to support the transformation of nurses in the Kingdom and to share best practices and ideas,” he said.
“Hopefully, all attendees take these learnings, embed them into their practice, and drive that transformation wherever they go.”
The event highlighted efforts to strengthen nursing leadership, expand professional development and adopt new technologies — key areas central to the Kingdom’s healthcare transformation under Vision 2030.
