Abstract

Nursing is the largest occupational group in the health sector, representing approximately 59 % of the health professions, which provides great benefits for global health, however, the outlook for nursing is not without difficulties, as it is a profession that does not develop its work in optimal environments, often must develop with little support from governments and does not have the recognition it deserves. The present reflection responds to the objective of highlighting the importance of nursing in health systems, and at the same time, to expose the main pending challenges for the strengthening of public health. Copious benefits associated with nursing care have been described, contributing to the achievement of the sustainable development objectives, where nursing plays a leading role in the process, however, the policies of the countries should develop strategies to promote its development, such as advanced practice nursing, on the other hand, nurse leaders should concentrate their efforts to encourage governments and authorities to work together to improve the working conditions of nurses; the present authors highlight the need for interdisciplinary collaborative work to achieve the needs of the population.