This study was carried out at a Family Medical Unit in a city in the south of Brazil, aiming at analyzing how the evaluation process takes place in a Brazilian public health unit, specifically considering a home care service. Data were collected through observation of the work process and interviews with workers, managers and users, between March and June 2006. The subjects were asked about the means applied to evaluate the home care service. No work is done to identify problems and reorient actions taken, evaluating the practices and measuring the impact of service and program actions on the population's health status.