Although research on care is predominantly associated with the health field, sociological studies emphasize that the elements that influence the health field are not restricted to it, insofar as it is the expression of intense social support and a fundamental attribute for the maintenance of collective life. The objective of the present study was to hypervisualize the sociological dimension of the care to problematize its transposition as a necessary factor to the social life for a technical action of health. A systematic literature review was conducted between 2003 and 2013 in the Virtual Health Library, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, Francis (Ovid), ProQuest Central, Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost), and Jstor and Sage databases, with the single term care and its variants. Of the 262 articles identified, 15 on the social dimensions of care were selected. It was observed that care referred to the solidarity and quality of the interaction between subjects in micro-relationships and macro-structures, differing from its technical/technological application in health. It was also observed that it is more comprehensive to define care sociologically than by the specificity of an act, for it includes dimensions of solidarity, respect, zeal, and mutual help for the preservation of life. It was concluded that a sociological approach to care is necessary, even contributing to the health field.