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The aim of this paper is to reflect upon care in Brazilian nursing, on the basis of various theories. To achieve this, we begin with a discussion about the Anglo-American concept of care and its possible translations into the Portuguese language. Following this, we introduce some authors who have theoretically supported various scientific productions in healthcare, specifically in Brazilian nursing. From this analysis, the presence of different ways of thinking about nursing care are identified. However, in relation to the concept of care as it has been proposed in France, there are few studies and scientific research in existence. However, despite the limitation of academic research about care in the health field, particularly in Brazilian nursing, we can observe that its conceptual assumptions are linked with specific issues that are based on health policies such as the National Humanization Policy and the Continuing Health Education Policy, as well as on the organization of the unified health system, all of which focus on the integrality of patient care.