Expatriate health‐care workers and maintenance of standards of practice factors affecting service delivery in Saudi Arabia

Although Western‐trained expatriate workers (WTEW) have been widely studied in the business management field, over the last 20 years health‐care professionals working abroad have not received a comparable level of attention. Very little is known concerning the issues and performance of the large numbers of allied health‐care workers (rehabilitation therapists, dietitians, laboratory technologists, etc.). This study focused on how Western‐trained allied health‐care professionals, working in Saudi Arabia, perceived their standards of practice to be affected by working abroad. The study found that worker demographics (e.g. country of training and length of time in the country), personal resources (e.g. membership in professional organisations), and employer‐ controlled features of employment (continuing education, access to a library, management support) potentially all played a role in maintaining standards. Recommendations for future study, based on these findings, conclude the paper.