The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has experienced rapid growth in its healthcare system, leading to an influx of many foreign professional nurses in the healthcare workforce. This increasing trend of foreign professional nurses into the KSA healthcare system has serious implications such as cultural, language and communication barriers that in turn have the potential to compromise the ability to ensure quality of care to Saudi patients. KSA is a conservative Islamic country that is guided by strict adherence to a religious belief that if foreign nurses are not sensitive to or understand their Saudi patients, it may interfere with their ability to communicate effectively. This paper examines the language and communication barriers within the KSA healthcare systems and how such barriers have the potential to compromise the quality of care. The paper concludes with strategies and recommendations related to addressing language and communication barriers within the KSA healthcare system.
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