This systematic review aimed to describe and analyze the use of Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring in Brazilian studies in the last ten years. A literature search using MEDLINE (MEDLARS - Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System), LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Literature) BDENF (Nursing Database), and SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online) databases was conducted. A sample of 34 publications met the systematic review inclusion criteria. The results showed that 61.8% of the studies were conducted in the south of Brazil, and these studies suggested that the Theory of Human Caring could be used in the three levels of care: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The majority of publications (64.7%) used the carative factors proposed by Jean Watson in 1979. There is a need for research approaches in respect to changes occurred in the Theory of Human Caring that evolved into the clinical caritas processes. Few studies have tested these new processes. This fact makes difficulty to use them in clinical practice.
Nursing theory; Nursing research