Integrative review, held in the databases LILACS, SciELO and BDENF from January 2005 to May 2009, aimed to summarize the Brazilian scientific production based on Orem's Nursing Theory. We obtained 23 articles, analyzed by simple descriptive statistics. It was found that 100% of the studies focused on adults. Of this total, 65,22% returned to the chronicle diseases. In 39,15% of the searches, the theory was used in full and in 34,80% one of the constructs. 91,30% of publications aimed to the construction and deployment of the structured and theoretically grounded practice of care. It was concluded that the theory has been used as theoretical and philosophical basis to justify the practice of nursing in a variety of situations in order to emphasize the role of the nurse in the care.