Utentes

Utentes is a Portuguese term used to designate people who use a service, especially public services such as health care, social care, and administrative services. The word emphasizes the user's role as a client or consumer rather than a passive recipient.

In healthcare, "utentes" refers to patients or service users of clinics, hospitals, and public health programs. The term appears in policy and legal texts to frame care around the needs and rights of those who rely on services, including access to information, confidentiality, quality of care, and opportunities to provide feedback or lodge complaints.

Outside health, utentes may refer to citizens engaging with government agencies, social services, or municipal offices. The concept is associated with user-centered or citizen-centric public service reforms and performance measurement that track user satisfaction and service delivery standards.

Usage varies by region. The term is common in Portugal and some Lusophone countries, where it is often preferred in official language in place of "paciente" or "cliente" when discussing public services. In Brazil, "paciente" is more common in healthcare, while "utentes" appears mainly in formal administrative language or in post-colonial contexts.

Origin: utente derives from the notion of using a service; the plural utentes marks the people who utilize services. The word has a neutral connotation, suitable for policy discourse, though it can be perceived as bureaucratic in everyday speech.