The objective of this study was to understand the strengths and limitations of the process of nursing work at a health center in terms of recognizing the health needs of the population. The methodological framework used was social research in the qualitative perspective, with discourse analysis based on hermeneutics-dialectics and founded on the Theory of Praxis Interpretation of Community Health Nursing. The data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews, and the working processes of the teams were examined according to the Analyzing Flowchart of the Model of a Health Care Service. In conclusion, there are limitations in the daily working process of the nursing team regarding the recognition of the health needs of the population. Coping with these needs consisted of the identification of complications, relegating the social determinants of the poor life conditions associated with the health-disease process to a secondary concern.
Health services needs and demand; Family health; Community health nursing; Public health nursing