The National Policy of Care Humanization and Health System Management are configured as a complex public policy which encompasses the structural, technical and relational aspects of the health service. However, this policy has failed at establishing the boundaries of its activities and the conceptual aspects of the humanization term. This study aimed to perform a reflection about the humanization of health through a conceptual analysis of the term itself and in the interpretation of speeches of nurses working in Intensive Care Units, collected in a qualitative research. It was concluded that nurses have an intuitive insight of the definition of humanization, understanding the necessity of conducting a holistic assistance beyond mere technique and also covering the physiological, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of care. At the same time they demonstrate the lack of preparation in professional education for the implementation of this humanized assistance.
Humanization of Assistance; Intensive Care; Health Policy