Objective:

Demonstrate scientific knowledge on the complexity theory in scientific publications on management in nursing and health.

Method:

This is an integrative review of the LILACS, BDENF and PubMed databases. It was conducted in May 2014 by combining the following keywords: complex theory, complex thinking, Edgar Morin, nurses, nursing, organization, management, administration and management. It includes ten articles published between 2004 and 2013.

Results:

Growth is evident, according to the scientific literature on complex thinking in nursing and health management. All the articles were original and seven took a qualitative approach. Interpretation: Two thematic categories were constructed: "complex thinking that is compatible with care management practices" and "complex management from the standpoint of nursing and health organizations."

Conclusions:

Complex thinking is a paradigm relative to completeness, multidisciplinarity, attention to support networks and articulation of knowledge. It was employed as a management model in living and unpredictable organizations to promote the organization of complex adaptive systems. This study contributes to the complexity of the framework approach with concepts of management in nursing and health, and provides greater insight for future publications.

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