Changes in nurse healthcare practices, especially for projects such as Brazil's Family Health Program, prompted us to study the related communication processes. A review of the literature from January 1994 through to December 2004 examined 26 papers in Brazilian and international periodicals, four dissertations, three theses and four books in the BIREME data-bases (LILACS and SCIELO-Br). Using 'Communication', 'Family Health Program' and 'Nursing' as key words, 373 mentions were found for 'Communication' and 'Nursing', twelve mentions for 'Family Health Program' and 'Communication' (LILACS); eighteen mentions for 'Communication' and 'Nursing'; and no mentions for 'Family Health Program' and 'Communication' (SCIELO-Br). In order to analyze these findings, the publications located through this search were grouped under four trends in the links between Communication and Nursing practices: Communication within the Family Health Program teams; Communication in professional Nursing practice; Communication as a leadership tool for Nurses; and Communication in Nursing education. This study showed that although the most usual communication model for healthcare practices is still unilinear, there is already a clear trend towards more dialogue, which poses a challenge for nursing practices in the Family Health Program.