This article seeks to characterize the different forms of mediation present in the daily work of the community health agent - an innovative element in the functional framework of the Family Health Strategy - , which oscillate between convincement an transformation. It believes that the mediating role the agents have can be of major importance to change the assistential model as it takes-on a transforming character, and sees popular education as a path towards strengthening this type of mediation and to change the assistential model. The study allowed community health agent practices to be known and to point to issues that are considered as fundamental in order for the assistential model to be able to meet the needs and expectations of the population and come closer to the principles of integrality, equity, humanization and popular participation.
community health agent; family health; primary health care; mediation