The aim of the study was to analyze the moral vision of professionals working in a primary healthcare unit and to indicate its implications for the strategy of humanization of healthcare. This was an investigation of exploratory nature with a qualitative approach. Data were gathered at a primary healthcare unit and were subsequently interpreted using discourse analysis. The professionals perceived morality as having good intentions in the care provided, such that the results are more a consequence of technical procedures than an ethical issue. The guidelines for the National Humanization Policy propose co-responsibility and co-management among healthcare professionals, managers and users, in order to achieve the objectives of humanization, problem-solving and excellence in healthcare provision. In conclusion, if humanization is not a matter of charity, but rather a fulfillment of user rights, professional ethics should not depend on good intentions but be based on results that are identified with responsibility.
Ethics; Morality; Primary Health Care; Humanization of care; Social responsibility