RESUMEN:El artículo aborda una reflexión sobre las principales tendencias de la humanidad en el mundo globalizado. Se define y caracteriza la globalización y sus consecuencias sociales y ambientales, entre las cuales se destaca la inequidad y el descuido como importantes impactos en la sociedad planetaria. Se indican los principales efectos en la salud y las oportunidades que abre para ella la globalización. Se analiza el papel del cuidado en la existencia humana y su condición de objeto de estudio e intervención de la enfermería. Las tendencias del desarrollo de la enfermería en los últimos años son caracterizadas en un doble proceso de cambio. Se puntualizan las implicancias de la globalización para la transformación del cuidado de enfermería y se mencionan los nuevos desafíos para el futuro, proponiéndose a la enfermería como el arte, la ciencia, la filosofía, la ética y la política del cuidado humano.ABSTRACT: This paper presents a reflection on the main tendencies of humanity in the globalized world. This study analyzes globalization and its social and environmental consequences, highlighting inequity and the lack of care as principal impacts upon the planetary society. We indicate their effects on health care and the opportunities that globalization opens for them. The role of care in human existence is analyzed and its condition as the subject of study and intervention in the field of nursing. The developmental tendencies in the nursing profession are characterized in a double process of exchange. Implications of globalization for the transformation of nursing care and new challenges for the future are pointed out, proposing nursing as art, science, philosophy, ethics and policy of human care. RESUMO:O trabalho aborda uma reflexão sobre as principais tendências da humanidade no mundo globalizado. Nele, se define e se caracteriza a globalização e suas conseqüências sociais e ambientais, entre as quais se destaca a iniqüidade e a falta de cuidado como importantes impactos na sociedade planetária. São indicados os principais efeitos na saúde e as oportunidades que a globalização abre para ela. É analisado também o papel do cuidado na existência humana e sua condição de objeto de estudo e intervenção da enfermagem. As tendências do desenvolvimento da enfermagem nos últimos anos são caracterizadas por um duplo processo de mudanças. Por fim, se analisam as implicações da globalização para a transformação do cuidado de enfermagem e se mencionam os novos desafios para o futuro, propondo-se a enfermagem como o arte, a ciência, a filosofia, a ética e a política do cuidado humano.

Patient safety is a critical topic in health care globally, with implications for nurses, physicians, administrators, and most importantly, patients and their well-being. Online distance learning (ODL) is widely accepted among most disciplines in higher education and has been used to promote patient safety knowledge among health care students and professionals in diverse contexts. This article reports on an online Nursing and Patient Safety course developed in 2012 by the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies in conjunction with the Pan American Health Organization and the International Network for Nursing and Patient Safety. The study’s objectives are to describe the implementation of an international ODL program to enhance patient safety knowledge in nurses and nursing students, and to examine the participants’ assessments of this online approach as an effective learning tool. Most participants who completed the Nursing and Patient Safety ODL course reported being satisfied with the course content and experience, and demonstrated increased knowledge on patient safety, as measured by post-module quizzes and self-report. Limitations of the study include the lack of a comparison group, disparity in the number of participants across the course’s language formats (English, Portuguese, Spanish), and the large number of participants who registered for but did not complete the course. Future research should identify obstacles to course completion, explore participants’ awareness of patient safety issues and perceived need for more instruction, and look at ways to disseminate the course to the broadest international population of nurses and nursing students.

EDITORIALThe health of the Americas advances without a break in the sense of achieving the Millennium Development Objectives and attention to the national and regional socio-sanitary priorities. However, within this process, the enormous debt of inequality increases in order to alert that many and arduous efforts are needed to overcome the sad and concerning designation of "most unequal continent on the planet."The renovation of Primary Health Care (PHC) is the strategy that American governments have chosen in order to combat inequalities, in order to achieve the right of the highest level of health possible for all the hemisphere's citizens, in order to reach equity in health care, and in order to generate mechanisms for solidarity in social and health care systems which permit previous goals to be attained.Thus, the PHC renovation, according to that defined by governments in the Americas, instead of a practical strategy, is a set of values, principles, and elements which may be adopted by countries in order to face socio-sanitary problems equitably and develop health care systems that respond to their needs with creativity, relevance, and contextualization.In the Americas, nursing has dedicated commitment, intelligence, and efforts towards the health of the population in guaranteeing safe and accessible care to all. More than ever, nursing services are necessary in order to face inequalities, maternal and infantile morbidity, chronic disease, immunization, the consequences from natural disasters and violence, preventing harmful substance abuse, mental health problems, in order to generate community health care promotion and protection, as well as to contribute to the development of integrated health care service networks. However, nursing care is necessary in all phases of life, from its beginning to end.In order to attend such care demands, nursing must be prepared to propose new health care models which might contribute to altering the scenario of health care in the Americas. Nursing must redouble its scientific, practical, political, and administrative efforts in order place greater focus on health care than even nursing itself. It is a challenge for nursing to generate reflection and action towards strengthening and expanding its awareness of society and the adoption of society as a unit of analysis and care unit; a qualitative jump which supposed the scientific, epidemiological, and health care determinant perspective for each action.The confidence our communities have in nurses and nursing is a trust filled with hope and expectation which goes beyond affection and reaches the limits of confidence and responsibility. It is a confidence in nursing's contribution to improving the health care system. Thus, progress in renovating the PHCs and its contribution to reaching the highest level of health for everyone may depend in large part upon the capacity and commitment that nurses have in accepting their social mission.Within this context, the nursing perspective is directed to this challenge, a key dimension ...

Se presenta una experiencia de cooperación en red de instituciones de formación de técnicos en salud y la facilitación de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS), incluyendo el contexto de cambio y las nuevas políticas de recursos humanos con sus implicaciones en el mundo del trabajo y la educación. Constituye una síntesis integradora de los procesos socio-afectivos y técnicos que le dan fuerza y dinámica a la Red de Técnicos en Salud (Rets). Se considera su creación, objetivos, estructura y organización, así como la gestión de la OPS y de los actores institucionales denominados Núcleos de Desarrollo (Nudes) con sus proyectos dinamizadores. Por último, se señalan las valoraciones y avances de lo realizado por los actores de los distintos países de América Latina y el Caribe Hispano. Se destaca la utilización de novedosos mecanismos de gestión en la cooperación técnica al reflexionar sobre los factores que influyen en la sostenibilidad y el éxito de experiencias en red con potencial movilizador y articulador para la cooperación horizontal en un mundo globalizado.