BACKGROUND: Since the final report of the 8th National Health Conference in 1986, the introduction of alternative healthcare practices within the scope of public health services has been sought. However, it was only in 2006, through the National Policy for Complementary and Integrative Practices, that non-medical professionals were allowed to act as acupuncturists within the Brazilian National Health System (SUS). OBJECTIVES: To describe the evolution of acupuncture within SUS and the inclusion of new, non-medical acupuncturists. METHODS: An exploratory descriptive study was conducted on acupuncture consultations provided by physicians and non-physicians between 1999 and 2007. The data source was the SUS Outpatient Information System, which is made available through the Ministry of Health database. Consultations were divided according to city and year. To analyze the temporal trend of the number of acupuncture consultations, a simple linear regression model was used, with a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: Analysis of the temporal trend showed that there was a significant increase (p<0.001) of 1.1 acupuncture consultations per 100 thousand outpatient examinations recorded annually between 1999 and 2007. There was a significant increase over the last year of the study period. In 2007, 28% of the acupuncture consultations were recorded by non-medical professionals in 41 cities. CONCLUSIONS: There has been an expansion in the number of acupuncture consultations and in the number of cities that record the use of acupuncture within SUS over the study period.
acupuncture; physical therapy; public health
