Introduction:

The importance of the SUS and its triad of universality, equity and integrity is essential to preserve the right to health, which, associated with a structured and effective practice of medicine, ensures improvements to community health. However, basic factors of physician-patient relations make it difficult for the effective practice of health care in the community, passing through all levels of health care, such as the Primary Health Care (PHC), at basic health units (BHU), which setting plays a key role in community health. These units also provide academic learning opportunities in medicine, promoting critical development with regard to humanisation in all sociocultural areas. Active user participation in this service, expressing views about the practice offered is crucial to understanding performance in various aspects of PHC, with repercussions in the users’ quality of life. Therefore, research is needed to understand the quality of service in the opinion of the users.

Objective:

The purpose of this research consists of understanding users’ perceptions as regards the care provided by medical students in PHC.

Method:

A qualitative study, with quantitative parts, was conducted in semi-structured and face-to-face interviews with users who received care from the students. The data was collected by means of content analysis categorisation.

Result:

Two categories were obtained, humanisation in user care and medical education integrated to the PHC service, in which the users report a humanised and integral practice as a result of the interaction between academics and the circumstances of the community.

Conclusion:

In the local circumstances, the users highlighted the present humanisation in the care provided, which reinforced the importance of the link between the student, user and the community, as well as reflecting the study of medicine that stimulates early contact with the PHC, as a means of skills and humanistic training.

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