Telehealth readiness among Saudi nurses: the critical role of innovative self-efficacy.

OBJECTIVES: Grounded in Bandura's Self-Efficacy Theory and Davis's Technology Acceptance Model, this study assessed telehealth readiness (TR) and the association with innovative self-efficacy (ISE) among nurses in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia, while identifying key demographic and professional correlates. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional survey among 400 registered nurses from three Ministry of Health hospitals using the Telehealth Readiness Assessment Tool (TRAT) and the Innovative Self-Efficacy Scale (ISES). Group comparisons employed non-parametric tests, and multivariable linear regression examined independent associations after adjusting for demographic and professional covariates. RESULTS: Nurses with higher ISE demonstrated substantially greater TR. ISE emerged as the dominant independent correlate of TR in multivariable analysis, suggesting that confidence in creative problem-solving may constitute one of the cognitive resources nurses draw upon when preparing for telehealth adoption. CONCLUSION: ISE is a key correlate of TR, independent of demographic and professional characteristics. These findings extend self-efficacy theory to a mandatory, culturally distinct telehealth adoption context and suggest that training programs should target creative problem-solving alongside technical skills to optimize nursing readiness for digital health transformation in Saudi Arabia.