Evaluating the Impact of Nurses’ Multilingual Competence on Patient Satisfaction in Selected Clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Effective communication is essential in delivering quality nursing care, particularly in multicultural healthcare environments where language differences may affect patients' understanding and satisfaction. This study examined the relationship between nurses' multilingual competence and patient satisfaction among patients attending selected outpatient clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A quantitative descriptive-correlational research design was employed involving 133 adult patients selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-developed bilingual questionnaire based on an extensive review of the literature on multilingual competence, nurse–patient communication, cultural competence, and patient satisfaction. The questionnaire was translated into Arabic, validated by experts, and pilot-tested, demonstrating excellent internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.905). Descriptive statistics, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, independent-samples t-test, and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. Findings revealed that respondents were predominantly 26–35 years old, female, non-Saudi nationals, and preferred English for healthcare communication. Nurses' multilingual competence (M = 4.43) and patient satisfaction (M = 4.45) were both rated very high. A very strong positive and statistically significant relationship was found between nurses' multilingual competence and patient satisfaction (r = 0.965, p < .001). No significant differences were observed by age, gender, or preferred language, whereas nationality significantly influenced perceptions of nurses' multilingual competence but not patient satisfaction. The findings indicate that enhancing nurses' multilingual communication skills through language development and culturally responsive practice can improve patient-centered care and healthcare experiences in linguistically diverse outpatient settings.