The first decade of the 21st century

EDITORIAL

The first decade of the 21st century

The year 2009 closed the first decade of the 21st century. It is an opportune time to recognize the accomplishments and anticipate future challenges.

In 2006, we commemorate 30 years of the Nursing Journal of Rio Grande do Sul (Revista Gaúcha de Enfermagem), who has witnessed the increasing and disseminating knowledge production and skilled nursing in Brazil.

At the beginning of the century in all areas, it was anticipated issues associated with globalization, particularly now present in everyday life. Over those first 10 years of the century, the Nursing Journal of Rio Grande do Sul implemented significant changes to follow the production and consumption of knowledge of nursing worldwide.

The Journal, classified by the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and Qualis B1, is indexed in several databases. From 2009, also includes the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO Brazil). The standards for publication have been reformulated and manuscripts are reviewed in accordance with international standards. The editing process became electronic only, and the journal is available in print and online. The journal presents new sections and also publishes articles in foreign language. As for the online availability of the collection can be accessed summaries of articles published between 1983 and 1997 and, since 1998, it is possible to find the full texts.

Thus, a retrospective analysis of the trajectory of the Nursing Journal of Rio Grande do Sul this first decade of the 21st century shows important progress and aligned with the needs and expectations of nursing in the contemporary world.

Prospectively, in addition to plans for continuous improvement of the Journal, there is always a role in the dissemination of knowledge that contributes to the development of nursing as a discipline focused on human care.

In 2009, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) chose as the theme for the International Day “Nurses leading innovations in care.” For ICN, the nurses are in a critical position to create and innovate in health care, because they work in various departments and institutions with very different types of patients, families, communities and health teams. By knowing this reality so broad and deep, nurses are in a unique position to contribute to overcoming current and future challenges such as aging populations, HIV/AIDS, increase in noncommunicable diseases, poverty, inadequate resources and workforce shortage⁽¹⁾.

The process of globalization demand now, innovative solutions that provide equitable health care, safe and effective, associated with cost containment. There are also more recent challenges to the nurse, as her performance in situations of natural disasters and public health emergencies such as epidemics and pandemics. Inserted in various health care services, nurses are in key positions to meet the health needs of populations in these emergencies.

The articles in this issue of the Journal address the chronic diseases, public health, HIV/AIDS, drugs, violence, human resources and leadership, all issues challenging for its complexity but at the same time, exciting for its present and its impact on people health, families and communities and in their own countries' development.

We hope the articles published here will stimulate readers to reflect on their professional practice, and leveraging the experiences of everyday life, to innovate in care, to seek new ways to solve issues that are repeated and seem to have no solution. This is perhaps the greatest challenge of the next decade: to provide an effective health care, safe and equitable. A challenge to be shared among the nurses, nursing training institutions and nursing journals.

Luiza Maria Gerhardt

Professor of the Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul

REFERENCE

• ¹
  International Council of Nurses. Delivering quality, serving communities: nurses leading care innovations [Internet]. Geneva; 2009 [cited 2009 Sept 22]. Available from: http://www.icn.ch/

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  14 Oct 2010
• Date of issue
  Dec 2009