[The patients' perception about their illness: a pilot study]

This preliminary study aims at inquiring the patients' perceptions about their own illness process. Therefore, 19 clinical inpatients from the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre interviewed. After a qualitative data analysis, it was observed that in a medical consultation there are, at least, two perspectives concerning the illness process. First, the physician's perspective, taking into account systems and organs structural and/or functional abnormalities (disease), and second, the patient's perspective, based on her or his perception of events that occur when getting sick (illness). In addition, the patient's perspective generally presents a preoccupation with the etiology of the disease. Keeping in mind these different viewpoints, it is crucial to establish the medical-patient dialog, aiming at reaching a better relationship between the patient and her/his physician.