Nurses and primary care service users: bioethics contribution to modify this professional relation

objective: to identify ethical issues experienced by nurses during their clinical practice in primary care settings and to explore ways to improve the nurse-patient ethical relationship. methods: this qualitative descriptive study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 17 registered nurses from a family health program in s？o paulo city, brazil. data were analyzed through content analysis. results: ethical issues in primary care settings are not serious and do not demand immediate attention. ethical issues in these settings can be easily resolved through good nurse-patient relationship. conclusion: the main ethical principles of autonomy, justice, and beneficence may contribute to better citizenship and health promotion.