The Culture Of Supportive Healthcare Practice: Interprofessional Contributions Of Dental Assistants And Nursing Specialists In Saudi Clinical Settings

Abstract

Supportive healthcare practice has increasingly been recognized as a fundamental component of quality, safety, and patient-centered care. Beyond its clinical and operational dimensions, supportive practice reflects a cultural system shaped by professional values, organizational norms, and interprofessional relationships. This narrative review explores the culture of supportive healthcare practice through an analytical examination of interprofessional contributions made by dental assistants and nursing specialists within Saudi clinical settings.

Drawing on international and Saudi-focused literature, the review synthesizes evidence on how organizational culture, professional hierarchy, and sociocultural norms influence collaboration, role recognition, and patient-centered outcomes. The findings highlight that dental assistants and nursing specialists play pivotal yet often underrecognized roles in care coordination, patient communication, emotional support, and quality enhancement. When these roles are supported through inclusive leadership, interprofessional education, and organizational recognition, supportive healthcare practice contributes significantly to improved patient experience, workforce well-being, and healthcare quality.

Within the Saudi context, cultural values such as collectivism, respect for authority, and institutional loyalty shape both opportunities and challenges for interprofessional support. The review concludes that embedding supportive healthcare practice into organizational culture—rather than treating it as an informal expectation—is essential for sustaining collaborative care and aligning healthcare delivery with national transformation goals. Cultural and organizational recommendations are proposed to strengthen interprofessional support and promote humane, ethical, and collaborative healthcare systems.