[REBEn: space of diffusion of hospital nursing knowledge --from 1951 to 2001]. / REBEn: espaço de difusão para o saber de enfermagem hospitalar--1951 a 2001.

Research on the scientific production on Hospital Nursing published by REBEn. OBJECTIVES: Classify the articles published from 1951 to 2001 and analyze this Review as a space for the diffusion of knowledge in that area. REFERENCES: Concept of cultural diffusion and its constituent historical processes. INSTRUMENT: Form applied in 254 articles. Data were submitted to descriptive statistics and led to the following categories: "production of articles in the concerning areas", "articles' scope", "types of articles", and "articles' origin". Our findings showed significant scientific production in those areas within the focused scopes and types of articles. Our conclusions indicate REBEn as a representative space of national diffusion of knowledge on hospital nursing and professional culture, contributing to the development of Nursing as a science.