El cuerpo: silencioso pero significativo en expresión

research conducted in waiting rooms of emergency services in the city of medellín, colombia. purpose: to identify ways in which people express emotions during waiting periods in the emergency services. methods: qualitative approach with focalized ethnography tools; 50 observation hours were used. analysis from field logs and interviews; codes were extracted and grouped in categories to obtain a total view ofthe phenomenon; confidentiality was guaranteed. results and discussion: waiting rooms of emergency services are impersonal spaces which limit communication and accompaniment between people and generate different emotional states which are expressed through the body. conversations with strangers, movements, looks and gestures with different meanings appear. thoughts: knowledge of the different forms of expression of emotional experiences of patients and their families allows implementing, in health institutions, mechanisms to favor assertive communication between users and the personnel to make appropriate and adequate decisions for each situation, thus making emergency care a humanized process.