Community participation in basic health care in the user's perspective

Abstract

Objective: To know from the perspective of the user, the contributions of community participation in health activities of a family health unit of Recife-PE, Brazil. Method: Qualitative study conducted with 65 users a basic health Unit in the months of November 2010 to January 2011. The interviews recorded, transcribed and analyzed by means of the collective subject discourse. Results: Two central ideas identified: - existing in the Community Leadership and participation of the population in the planning of health; - Suggestions for changes/improvements in health service offered by the basic unit. Conclusion: Evidenced that the question of community leadership needs to strengthen through a political actionethics-shared citizen, where professionals and users are active in this process, recognizing themselves as allies within the complexity that involves health issues in the context of capitalism and private interests.