OBJECTIVE: It has, as its purpose, to know these patients' perceptions on the reasons that make them comply, or not, with the treatment. METHODS: Qualitative descriptive approach, with five inpatients at a Medical Clinic Unit in a university hospital in Southern Brazil. RESULTS: The data were collected in semi-structured interviews and analyzed when three themes were present: perception of the disease, importance of the therapeutics and difficulty to perform the therapeutics. CONCLUSION: It was made evident that, when complying with the treatment, there are several factors involved that add to the complexity of this issue, being related to people's behavior and their motivations, and becoming an important challenge to be overcome by the healthcare professionals.
Chronic disease; Qualitative research; Nursing care