Self-care is a fundamental concept for nursing practice, with great relevance for rehabilitation nursing. With the current population aging and the prevalence of chronic diseases, strategies to promote people's autonomy are particularly relevant in nursing care. However, there is a gap in knowledge about which indicators impact self-care capacity and which to assess to establish a coherent and feasible care plan for autonomy. The objective is: identify the predictive indicators of self-care ability and the tools to assess self-care ability in adults. We developed a systematic review and searched the EBSCO Host platform from September 2011 to September 30, 2021. A total of 620 studies were retrieved. After screening, we selected seven studies for data extraction. We identified three classes of predictive indicators of self-care ability: Personal (age, health literacy, education level, place of living - own housing or nursing home -, knowledge of disease process, perception of health status, positive/negative emotions, nutritional status, stress level, and sleep quality), Organizational (availability of health education sessions and active aging programs), and Social (familiar support and interaction with people who experience similar situations). Noteworthy is the identification of the validity of 2 self-care capacity assessment instruments: The self-care Ability Scale for the Elderly and the Appraisal of Self-care Agency Scale. Through the assessment of these three classes of indicators, it is possible to outline strategies to enhance the facilitating factors of self-care and to remove, minimize or overcome the identified barriers. When measuring a patient's self-care abilities, the nurse should consider these three classes and valid assessment instruments to establish the care plan. Complementary studies are needed to validate the three classes of indicators.