Resumo

OLIVEIRA, Francisco Arsego de. Anthropology in healthcare services: integrality, culture and communication. Interface (Botucatu) [online]. 2002, vol.6, n.10, pp. 63-74. ISSN 1414-3283.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1414-32832002000100006.

The use of other fields of knowledge in the healthcare area has intensified over the last few years. Social Sciences in general and specifically Medical Anthropology have contributed decisively to the understanding of phenomena related to the health/disease process, both individually and collectively. In this paper, the author discusses a number of considerations, in order to reach a better understanding of the issue of providing healthcare, focusing on clearly revealing the forms of interaction and communication between these healthcare services and their users. The article concludes by showing how centering medical practice on users and their culture ends up being beneficial to both patients and professionals, in that it recovers the humane aspects and the holistic focus of healthcare.

Palavras-chave : Medical anthropology; healthcare services; health assistance.