Analysis of physical therapy education in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic brought the need for social distancing as a strategy to control the disease, prompting most countries to te.,mporarily suspend educational activities at all levels. Objective: To analyze the status of physical therapy education in Brazilian public and private institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study with professors from physical therapy courses in Brazil. The study was conducted using an electronic form distributed via a social media application, containing questions on the characteristics of the professor, educational institution and work process. Associations were analyzed by the chi-squared test at 5% significance. Results: A total of 313 professors from 22 Brazilian states participated, with 62.94% from private institutions and 73.80% reporting that activities were conducted via emergency remote teaching (ERT). Among the professors who shifted to ERT, 63.20% did so with no prior planning and 28.13% had received no training for this this teaching format. An association was observed between the type of institution (public or private) and professors’ age (p