This study describes the perception of pain and the meanings it has for adults who use the Brazilian public health system, the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). The sample was comprised of 60 patients who sought the service in the period. This is a descriptive-explanatory research whose data were collected through semi-structured interviews and evaluated qualitatively. The emerging themes were grouped into categories. It was observed that "the meaning of pain" revealed the preponderance of the comprehen-sion of pain as a physical matter. It also showed that pain is related to emotional, sentimental, religious and human circumstances as well. "The reaction of men and women in the face of pain" is perceived differently according to the gender. In questions such as "How do you feel when you are in pain?" the answers varied between affective, cognitive and behavioral.
Pain; Pain measurement; Patients; National Health System (BR)