A Scoping Review of Nursing Leadership Role in Global Health: Challenges and Opportunities

Nursing leadership plays a critical role in ensuring healthcare quality and safety while also contributing to improving the population health outcomes in the context of global health. The aim was to map the literature on the role of nursing leadership in global health. A scoping review was constructed using databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, BDEnf, LILACS, and SciELO through September 2024. The review followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, the JBI methodology, and the Population, Context and Concept (PCC) framework. The search identified 557 articles. After excluding duplicates and screening titles and abstracts, 41 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, resulting in a sample of 22 articles, which included nursing leadership in policy (14;63.6%), care (7;31.8%), and education (6;27.3%). The findings underscore the importance of nursing leadership in strengthening global health, but also reveal persistent challenges across care delivery, educational backgrounds, and political engagement. Therefore, nursing leadership in global health is supported by three interconnected pillars: policy, care, and education. The results highlight the need to advance nursing leadership capacity to deal with global health demands.