Who can work with acupuncture in Brazil?

Abstract

Acupuncture is offered in the Brazilian National Health System (SUS), but its practice is matter of legal disputes. This study analyzes aspects of this practice by different professionals of the field of health. An analysis of scientific and institutional literature (Brazilian and international), whose selection was intentionally guided, was carried out. The results address aspects of the dispute over the practice of acupuncture; the teaching of acupuncture and its regulations; and the operationalization of records of acupuncture practice in the SUS. The absence of unified rules for this exercise generated infra-legal regulation of governmental institutions and professional corporations in Brazil, admitting multidisciplinary practice, in accordance with the guidelines of the World Health Organization.