GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF TRAINING IN PHYSICAL THERAPY IN BRAZIL: DISORDERED GROWTH AND REGIONAL INEQUALITY

Abstract The incredible growth in the number of Physical Therapy schools in Brazil needs to be analyzed. There was a 476 percent increase in the number of courses located in major cities and in private educational institutions between 1995 and 2008. Aiming to analyze the distribution of Physical Therapy schools in the different Brazilian regions, identifying the institutions offering presence and distance education, a quantitative, exploratory, and cross-sectional study was carried out based on secondary data collected from the e-MEC site in 2015. The number of openings and school distribution were listed based on population estimates. Physiotherapy courses are concentrated in large cities, making it difficult for the population in the interior to have access to them. The highest concentration is in the states of São Paulo (239 courses), Minas Gerais (152 courses), and Paraná (120 courses), where most professionals are also located. Course distribution analysis identified the need to invest in opening courses in Northern Brazil. The unbridled growth of Physical Therapy schools, coupled with the lack of criteria for opening new courses in the country, reiterates inequalities in the distribution of professionals.摘要：巴西物理治疗（Physical Therapy）院校数量的激增亟待分析。1995年至2008年间，该国主要城市及民办教育机构中的物理治疗课程数量增幅达476%。本研究旨在剖析巴西各区域物理治疗院校的分布情况，甄别提供面授与远程教育的办学机构，基于2015年从e-MEC平台采集的二手数据开展了一项定量探索性横断面研究。研究依据人口估算数据，统计了课程新增数量与院校分布情况。物理治疗课程多集中于大城市，导致内陆地区民众难以获取相关课程资源。课程集中度最高的为圣保罗州、米纳斯吉拉斯州与巴拉那州，三地分别开设239门、152门及120门物理治疗课程，该国多数物理治疗从业者也集中于此。课程分布分析显示，巴西北部地区亟需增设物理治疗课程。巴西物理治疗院校的无序扩张，加之该国缺乏新设课程的审批标准，进一步凸显了物理治疗从业者分布不均的问题。