We objective to discuss the Users' Rights Booklet of the Health Unified System with patients and family members who had looked for attendance in public hospital service. One has chosen the action research, a qualitative and constructive method, which takes into account collective participation and planned action for changes of situations. The data were collected along with the research participants' discussions by means of weekly meetings throughout 2007. The codified speeches were analyzed and resulted in three themes: rights and duties of healthcare users; qualification of health professionals; receptivity to healthcare users. The users' rights booklet consists of an important means for citizens to know their rights of access to the healthcare system, allowing them to contribute in a critical and co-responsible way to discussions and actions in favor of a better healthcare system.
Single Health System; Patient rights; Consumer participation; Nursing research