BACKGROUND:
Healthcare cybersecurity threats transcend national boundaries, while protection capacities remain inequitably distributed across global health systems. The rapid digital transformation accelerated by COVID-19, including AI adoption, has created unprecedented vulnerabilities. Although healthcare workers worldwide increasingly serve as frontline defenders against cyber threats, systematic disparities in cybersecurity training, technological infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks leave health systems and patients at risk.

METHODS:
We conducted a comprehensive literature review of global AI applications in healthcare cybersecurity, regulatory frameworks, and nursing workforce training requirements. We synthesized evidence on AI-powered threat detection, automated incident response systems, data protection mechanisms, and human capital development strategies. We used an equity-focused lens to consider access disparities in cybersecurity resources, training opportunities, and technological infrastructure across high/middle/low-resource settings.

RESULTS:
Findings reveal critical global inequities in cybersecurity protection and workforce preparedness. While AI demonstrates significant potential for real-time threat detection, predictive analytics, and intelligent access control, implementation remains concentrated in well-resourced settings, creating "cybersecurity deserts" that leave vulnerable systems and patients exposed. Nurses in under-resourced contexts face compounded risks: limited access to training, inadequate technological infrastructure, absence of regulatory frameworks, and language barriers in cybersecurity education materials. However, evidence shows that inclusive, culturally responsive training programs, coupled with context-appropriate AI tools and North-South knowledge exchange, can democratize cybersecurity capacity. Success factors include: (1) equitable investment in multilingual, accessible training platforms, (2) collaborative international frameworks ensuring regulatory harmonization, (3) ethical and equitable AI deployment addressing algorithmic bias and privacy protection, and (4) sustainable workforce development models that build local cybersecurity expertise.

CONCLUSIONS:
Protecting patient data and ensuring healthcare delivery continuity in our interconnected world requires dismantling cybersecurity inequities through coordinated global action. Strategies must prioritize inclusive human capital development, equitable access to AI-enhanced security tools, and participatory governance frameworks that engage nurses and frontline providers across all settings.