THE ADAPTABILITY OF HEALTHCARE STAFF IN THE DORMITORY AT KING SAUD MEDICAL CITY

Abstract

This study explores how healthcare professionals adapt to dormitory living at King Saud Medical City and examines its implications for their well-being, job performance, and retention within the health system. A quantitative approach was applied using an online survey to gather structured data from 558 health staff in the dormitory. The objective was to identify critical challenges related to comfort, privacy, social support, and their impact on workforce productivity and quality of life. The findings revealed that 51.7% (n = 288) of participants reported experiencing stress or fatigue due to suboptimal dormitory conditions, while only 22.1% (n = 123) disagreed, and 26.2% (n = 146) were neutral. A statistically significant correlation was found between dissatisfaction and stress (χ² = 351.010, df = 4, p < 0.001; Cramér's V = 0.561), with poor privacy and lack of social support being the most cited concerns. These results highlight dormitory conditions as a key determinant of staff well-being, with clear implications for human resources for health (HRH) strategies. Addressing staff housing quality as part of health systems strengthening can improve workforce resilience, retention, and care quality. We propose targeted recommendations, including cross-sector collaboration with non-profit housing organizations, to ensure sustainable, inclusive, and person-centered staff accommodation solutions.