Shaping nursing profession regulation through history – a systematic review A. Stievano 1 RN, MSN, PhD, R. Caruso 2 RN, MSN, PhD , F. Pittella 3 RN, MSN, F.A. Shaffer 4 EdD, RN, FAAN, G. Rocco 5 RN, MSN, PhD & J. Fairman 6,7 RN, FAAN, PhD 1 Researcher, Centre of Excellence for Nursing Scholarship - Ipasvi Rome - Italy, 5 Director, Centre of Excellence for Nursing Scholarship, Ipasvi Rome, Italy, 2 Chief, 3 Director of Education, Health Professions Research and Development Unit, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Italy, 4 President and Chief Executive Officer, CGFNS International, USA, 6 Chair, Department of Bio-behavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, USA, 7 Director Emeritus, Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA STIEVANO A., CARUSO R., PITTELLA F., SHAFFER F.A., ROCCO G. & FAIRMAN J. (2018) Shaping nursing profession regulation through history – a systematic review. International Nursing Review 00, 000–000 Aim: The aim of this systematic review was to provide a critical synthesis of the factors that historically shaped the advancements of nursing regulators worldwide. Background: An in-depth examination of the different factors that moulded regulatory changes over time is pivotal to comprehend current issues in nursing. Introduction: In the light of global health scenarios, the researchers explored the factors that historically influenced the socio-contextual circumstances upon which governments made regulatory changes. Methods: A systematic search was performed on the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, OpenGrey and ScienceDirect. The review included papers from January 2000 to October 2016 published in English. The authors used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and an inductive thematic approach for synthesis. Results: Two main themes were identified: factors underpinning current challenges and historical and contextual triggers of regulation. The first theme was composed of three aspects: education, migration and internationalization, and policy and regulation; the second theme consisted of four attributes: demographics, economics, history of registration and wars, and historical changes in nursing practice. Discussion: Factors that shaped nursing regulation were linked to changing demographics and economics, education, history of nursing registration, shifting patterns of migration and internationalization, nursing practice, policy and regulation and significant societal turns often prompted by wars. Conclusion: A deeper understanding of the developments of the nursing regulatory institutions provides the foundation for portable standards that can be applied across an array of jurisdictions to guarantee a better public safety. Correspondence address: Alessandro Stievano, Centre of Excellence for Nursing Scholarship, Viale Giulio Cesare 78 - 00192 - Rome - Italy; Tel: +39-0645437035; Fax: +39- 0645437034; E-mail: alessandro.stievano@gmail.com. Funding The study was supported by a grant from the Centre of Excellence for Nursing Scholarship – Ipasvi Rome – Italy (Research Grant number 1.17.06). Conflict of interest No conflict of interest has been declared by the authors. 1 © 2018 International Council of Nurses Literature Review