[Research groups in nursing education: research areas and scientific production in three regions of Brazil].

This study aimed to identify themes of research areas and scientific literature of Research Groups in Nursing Education (GPEE in Portuguese) of the North, Northeast and Midwest regions of Brazil. This is a descriptive and exploratory study. It was identified 12 GPEE, 45 fields of research and 448 scientific papers, of which 60% have appeared in magazines classified as A, B1 and B2. Even though 36% of the research areas were about education, only 25% of the papers covered this theme. Furthermore, 34% of the research areas were about care and 44% of the papers were about it. It's necessary to rethink the GPEE organization in regards to areas and research projects, to advance towards the consolidation of Nursing Education as an area of knowledge production.