This study had the purpose of analysing the utilization of terms attributed to nursing phenomena in the practice of nurses from the state of Paraiba, Brazil. The results showed that all terms are used by nurses in some frequency. In respect to the utilization of the terms, according to a stratified sample, the results showed that nurses from other municipal districts use a higher number of terms, statistically significant, when compared with data from the cities of João Pessoa and Campina Grande. From the results of the study, it can be concluded that terms attributed to phenomena contained in the CIPE - Alpha Version represent problems or situations in the nursing practice of nurses from Paraiba, corroborating the affirmation of the International Council of Nurses that these terms are common to nurses all over the world.
classification; nursing phenomena; nursing practice