Abstract
Background Homeopathy has been experiencing a period of expansion in Brazil due to its practical
relevance in the face of new global and national health demands, culminating in the
launch in 2006 of the National Policy for Integrative and Complementary Practices
(NPICP) by the Ministry of Health of Brazil, which standardized and regularized the
position of homeopathy within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS).
Aims To understand the impact of the guidelines proposed by the NPICP on homeopathy services
in the SUS, specifically in the south-east region of Brazil, according to the perceptions
of their managers.
Methods This is a descriptive, exploratory research study with a qualitative approach, conducted
in homeopathy services in the south-east region of Brazil, through semi-structured
interviews and with data processed using content analysis.
Results The data show the importance of the NPICP in regulating and offering homeopathy in
the services studied. However, the NPICP's objective of promoting and fully developing
integrative and complementary practices has not been achieved because it has failed
to translate strategies into actions.
Conclusion Though important to the development of homeopathy services in any given location,
policies stated in the NPICP were revealed to have limited impact on the implementation
and development of new services. Without further legislation, training programs and
appropriate budget allocation, new services will be unable to thrive and their users
unable to benefit from a more comprehensive approach to healthcare.
Keywords
homeopathy - health policy - qualitative research - complementary therapies - integrative
medicine
