The aim of this study was to identify and analyze the production of scientific knowledge in the area of neonatal nursing by using table of contents of computerized databases. This quantitative, descriptive study took as its source of information the MEDLINE, CINAHL, and LILACS databases between 1990 and 2000. The titles entered were "neonatal nursing" when accessing the first two databases and "neonatal nursing and neonatal nurse" with LILACS. This process identified 3,576 publications, 2,336 (61.12%) indexed in the CINAHL, 3,062 (85,58%) included in North American and English periodicals. Of the total of publications, 1940 were analyzed and the caring process was the theme with the greatest number of publications - 804 (41.45%).
neonatal nursing; maternal-child nursing; literature review
