This integrative review study was performed with the objective to analyze the application of the nursing process in different professional care settings, according to the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP®). The search was conducted on the LILACS, BDENF, MEDLINE and SciELO databases for the period from 1996 to 2009, and yielded 45 publications for analysis. The results evidenced that the ICNP® presents all the elements that comprise nursing practice, as it integrates, organizes and assures the continuity of the nursing team information and care, which permits the assessment of its efficacy and effectiveness and changes them according to the clients' recuperation outcomes. It is concluded that using the ICNP® allows nurses to organize and develop their logical rationale regarding the care process, as it establishes a concrete relationship between the clinical assessments and the nursing diagnoses, interventions and outcomes.
Nursing process; Classification; Terminology; Nursing care; Nursing records
