Nursing research in Spain

The evolution of the Nursing profession in Spain over the past 40 years has determined the current situation of Nursing research. Thus, the social, political and economic context have modelled the academic consolidation of Nursing both in the University, and in the Health Care System. The aim of this paper is to describe the evolution, key milestones, and current situation of Nursing research in Spain as a result of all these influences. The full access of nurses to doctorate programs, the regulation of health professions and Nursing specialties, as well as the strong support from some institutions funding and promoting nurse-led research have been essential for the current development. There are 49 PhD Programmes for nurses, and 79 Nursing research groups, responsible for a scientific production that puts Spain in the seventh position in the world ranking of scientific production in the area of Nursing, from a total of 257 countries analyzed. [Publisher's Text].