Nursing practice environment and time management behaviours among nurses: a cross-sectional study

Effective time management is central to nursing workflow, prioritisation, coordination, and timely care. Organisational characteristics of the nursing practice environment may be associated with nurses’ ability to manage competing clinical demands; however, evidence examining this relationship in Saudi Arabia remains limited. This study examined the nursing practice environments and the time management behaviours among registered nurses and determined whether their association persists after adjustment for relevant participant characteristics. A descriptive-correlational cross-sectional study was conducted among 432 registered nurses recruited through convenience sampling from three public hospitals in Saudi Arabia between February and April 2025. Participants completed a study-specific modified 28-item configuration of the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) and the 17-item Nursing Time Management Scale (NTMS). Descriptive statistics, group comparisons with effect sizes and robust alternatives where appropriate, Pearson correlation with 95% confidence intervals, and multivariable linear regression with HC3 robust standard errors were used. The overall study-specific modified PES-NWI mean was 3.67 ± 0.96, and the NTMS mean was 3.63 ± 1.07. Educational level was the only demographic characteristic significantly associated with both outcomes in unadjusted comparisons (PES-NWI: F = 8.796, p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.039; NTMS: Welch F = 11.715, p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.048). PES-NWI and NTMS scores were strongly correlated ( r = 0.786, 95% CI [0.747, 0.819], p < 0.001). After adjustment for gender, nationality, marital status, age, educational level, and years of experience, PES-NWI remained strongly associated with NTMS (B = 0.864, HC3 SE = 0.037, standardized β = 0.775, 95% CI [0.790, 0.937], p < 0.001; adjusted R 2 = 0.620). Higher scores on the study-specific modified PES-NWI were strongly associated with higher reported time management behaviour scores, even after adjustment for measured demographic characteristics. Because the modified PES-NWI lacks validated interpretive cut-offs and both constructs were assessed concurrently using self-report measures, the findings should not be interpreted as establishing normative practice-environment categories or causal relationships.