Characteristics and determinants of community physiotherapy utilization and supply.

BACKGROUND: Demand for Physiotherapy is on the rise due to increasing ageing population and consequent disability and morbidity. However, the costs of healthcare in developing countries are rising, and healthcare resources are limited making the supply of Physiotherapy services challenging in rural communities. Availability of Physiotherapy may help to reduce the burden of disability and enhance efficiency of healthcare systems. This study investigated the characteristics and associations of utilization and supply of community Physiotherapy in Nigeria. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of 336 consenting community dwelling individuals from three selected communities in Nigeria was carried out. A three-section validated self-developed questionnaire which sought information on socio-demographics, utilization and supply of community Physiotherapy, as well as how to improve community Physiotherapy services was used. A household was used as the primary sampling unit in the study. Inferential and Descriptive statistics were used to assess the data. RESULTS: Lifetime, 12-month and point utilization of physiotherapy was 21.7, 7.4 and 2.7% respectively. Physiotherapy utilization was significantly associated with level of education (p = 0.007), belief on pain as "spiritual" (p = 0.020) and religious belief (p = 0.001). The respondents with primary, secondary and tertiary education were 14.3, 13.9 and 26 times more likely to utilize physiotherapy services, respectively. Those who 'agree' or were 'not sure' that their religious belief was against physiotherapy were 92 and 83% less likely to utilize physiotherapy services, respectively compared with those who 'disagree'. Availability and supply of Physiotherapy services were mostly at the township teaching hospital (47.9%) and private hospitals (20.5%). The supply of Physiotherapy services within the communities was mostly on temporary basis (24.7%) and through visiting Physiotherapists (21.4%). Physiotherapy services utilized was mainly exercise (46.6%) and soft tissue mobilization (41.1%). Travel costs (32.6%), time constraints (27.9%) and work commitments (24.8%) were the constraints for Physiotherapy utilization while positive beliefs and higher education improved Physiotherapy utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Utilization and supply of Physiotherapy services in Nigerian rural community was low. Low utilization of Physiotherapy services in Nigerian rural communities were most significantly influenced by low educational status and beliefs about pain.

Are There Sufficient Number of Exercise Therapists in South Africa In Order To Equitably Manage the Noncommunicable Disease Epidemic?

The mortality of South African noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is rising. One of its primary contributors is physical inactivity. Therefore, South African National Health Plan included exercise therapy as part of their strategy to inhibit the NCDs upsurge. This study aimed to determine whether the number of South African exercise therapists is sufficient to equitably manage this NCD epidemic. The 2013 and 2017 Health Professions Council of South Africa reports identified the number of physiotherapists, biokineticists, and their respective students-in-training. In 2012, 10,623,820 people were identified with NCDs; however, South African Department of Health only treated 6,058,186 patients (57.0%) ( p < .05). South African Health Review has estimated a 28.7% increase in the number of NCDs patients treated from 2012 (6,058,186) to 2025 (7,799,770) ( p < .05). The average yearly growth of practicing physiotherapists (3.4%) and the physiotherapy student-in-training (2.2%) is inequitable to manage this NCD epidemic. In 2012, the extrapolated physiotherapist-to-NCD patient ratio was 1:5667. The South African Department of Health should consider including biokineticists to aid in the management of the NCD epidemic.

How are balance and mobility problems after stroke treated in England? An observational study of the content, dose and context of physiotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the dose, intensity and context of physiotherapy for balance and mobility problems after stroke. DESIGN: Process mapping to describe the context and non-participant observation of therapy sessions to describe the dose and content of therapy. SETTING: Four inpatient stroke units in North-West England. PARTICIPANTS: Therapy staff and previously mobile stroke survivors who were treating, or receiving treatment for balance and mobility problems in the participating units. RESULTS: Two units were stand-alone rehabilitation units; two offered a service at the weekends. One had no access to community-based rehabilitation. All had dedicated treatment facilities but often did not use them because of lack of space and difficulty transporting patients. Twenty-two patients participated and 100 treatment sessions were observed. Practicing walking, sit-to-stand and transfers were the most frequent objectives and interventions usually with the therapist(s) physically facilitating the patient's movements. The dose of practise was low; mean repetitions of sit-to-stand per session was 5 (SD 6.4); mean time spent upright per session was 11.24 (SD = 7) minutes, and mean number of steps per session was 202 (SD 118). The mean number of staff per patient was 2.1 (SD = 0.6, mode = 2), usually involving two qualified therapists. Falls prevention or management, wheelchair skills and bed mobility were not practised. CONCLUSION: Stroke physiotherapy for balance and mobility problems features low-dose, low-intensity therapist-led practice, mainly of walking and sit-to-stand. Staff:patient ratios were high. Therapists need to organize treatment sessions to maximize the intensity of functional task practice.

[A new look at physiotherapy in France in 2018]. / Regards sur la kinésithérapie en 2018

The authors review the most significant recent stages in developments concerning physiotherapy in France by assessing its current state. The strength of this profession is that it was reformed in 2015 under the European Agreements of the Bologna Process.With its mutations and achievements in connection with biological, medical, and clinical research progress, physiotherapy is continuing to broaden its fields of practice in order to attract future students. Nevertheless, this remains insufficient to stimulate an exercise in hospitals.Despite macro and micro-economic constraints leading to important repercussions, physiotherapists have been able to adapt to the new management of patients without altering the recognition they receive from patients.The new definition of the profession along with new training techniques should reaffirm their skills, which have not been very visible thus far.The educational reform must be considered as a starting point of a changing profession, whose fields of practice, despite constant expansion since 2016, have not yet interested the majority of professionals.

An examination of the causes, consequences, and policy responses to the migration of highly trained health personnel from the Philippines: the high cost of living/leaving-a mixed method study.

BACKGROUND: Dramatic increases in the migration of human resources for health (HRH) from developing countries like the Philippines can have consequences on the sustainability of health systems. In this paper, we trace the outflows of HRH from the Philippines, map out its key causes and consequences, and identify relevant policy responses. METHODS: This mixed method study employed a decentered, comparative approach that involved three phases: (a) a scoping review on health workers' migration of relevant policy documents and academic literature on health workers' migration from the Philippines; and primary data collection with (b) 37 key stakeholders and (c) household surveys with seven doctors, 329 nurses, 66 midwives, and 18 physical therapists. RESULTS: Filipino health worker migration is best understood within the context of macro-, meso-, and micro-level factors that are situated within the political, economic, and historical/colonial legacy of the country. Underfunding of the health system and un- or underemployment were push factors for migration, as were concerns for security in the Philippines, the ability to practice to full scope or to have opportunities for career advancement. The migration of health workers has both negative and positive consequences for the Philippine health system and its health workers. Stakeholders focused on issues such as on brain drain, gain, and circulation, and on opportunities for knowledge and technology transfer. Concomitantly, migration has resulted in the loss of investment in human capital. The gap in the supply of health workers has affected the quality of care delivered, especially in rural areas. The opening of overseas opportunities has commercialized health education, compromised its quality, and stripped the country of skilled learning facilitators. The social cost of migration has affected émigrés and their families. At the household level, migration has engendered increased consumerism and materialism and fostered dependency on overseas remittances. Addressing these gaps requires time and resources. At the same time, migration is, however, seen by some as an opportunity for professional growth and enhancement, and as a window for drafting more effective national and inter-country policy responses to HRH mobility. CONCLUSIONS: Unless socioeconomic conditions are improved and health professionals are provided with better incentives, staying in the Philippines will not be a viable option. The massive expansion in education and training designed specifically for outmigration creates a domestic supply of health workers who cannot be absorbed by a system that is underfunded. This results in a paradox of underservice, especially in rural and remote areas, at the same time as underemployment and outmigration. Policy responses to this paradox have not yet been appropriately aligned to capture the multilayered and complex nature of these intersecting phenomena.

Human resources for health (and rehabilitation): Six Rehab-Workforce Challenges for the century.

BACKGROUND: People with disabilities face challenges accessing basic rehabilitation health care. In 2006, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) outlined the global necessity to meet the rehabilitation needs of people with disabilities, but this goal is often challenged by the undersupply and inequitable distribution of rehabilitation workers. While the aggregate study and monitoring of the physical rehabilitation workforce has been mostly ignored by researchers or policy-makers, this paper aims to present the 'challenges and opportunities' for guiding further long-term research and policies on developing the relatively neglected, highly heterogeneous physical rehabilitation workforce. METHODS: The challenges were identified through a two-phased investigation. Phase 1: critical review of the rehabilitation workforce literature, organized by the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality (AAAQ) framework. Phase 2: integrate reviewed data into a SWOT framework to identify the strengths and opportunities to be maximized and the weaknesses and threats to be overcome. RESULTS: The critical review and SWOT analysis have identified the following global situation: (i) needs-based shortages and lack of access to rehabilitation workers, particularly in lower income countries and in rural/remote areas; (ii) deficiencies in the data sources and monitoring structures; and (iii) few exemplary innovations, of both national and international scope, that may help reduce supply-side shortages in underserved areas. DISCUSSION: Based on the results, we have prioritized the following 'Six Rehab-Workforce Challenges': (1) monitoring supply requirements: accounting for rehabilitation needs and demand; (2) supply data sources: the need for structural improvements; (3) ensuring the study of a whole rehabilitation workforce (i.e. not focused on single professions), including across service levels; (4) staffing underserved locations: the rising of education, attractiveness and tele-service; (5) adapt policy options to different contexts (e.g. rural vs urban), even within a country; and (6) develop international solutions, within an interdependent world. CONCLUSIONS: Concrete examples of feasible local, global and research action toward meeting the Six Rehab-Workforce Challenges are provided. Altogether, these may help advance a policy and research agenda for ensuring that an adequate rehabilitation workforce can meet the current and future rehabilitation health needs.

Australian physiotherapy workforce at a glance: a narrative review.

Background The ability of the physiotherapy workforce to meet the growing demand in the Australian community is uncertain, despite increasing tertiary students and numbers of registered physiotherapists annually. Objectives The present narrative literature review investigates what is known about the Australian physiotherapy workforce, what factors contribute to attrition from the profession and what strategies could be implemented to improve retention of skilled physiotherapists. Methods A literature search of five databases identified 24 articles that informed the content of the present review. The articles were reviewed and content summarised according to focus areas and results discussed in the current Australian healthcare context. Results Although many factors of attrition are inevitable, the present review identified some potentially modifiable factors of attrition. Strategies to improve retention of skilled physiotherapists were broadly grouped into improving professional support in the workforce and assisting the re-entry process for physiotherapists seeking to return to the workforce. Conclusion Increasing retention of qualified and skilled physiotherapists nationally will help build workforce capacity, meeting the needs of the growing, changing and aging community. What is known about the topic? The demand for physiotherapists is growing significantly in Australia and the ability of the workforce to meet growing demands is uncertain. What does this paper add? Many physiotherapists in Australia leave the workforce and the profession early in their careers. Addressing modifiable factors of attrition could help improve the retention of practitioners and skills in the profession, building workforce capacity. What are the implications for practitioners? Professional support for current physiotherapists is crucial. Re-entry physiotherapists should be supported with flexible return-to-work programs, refresher training and mentorship.

[Investigation of the effects of intervention by therapists at night on convalescent rehabilitation units].

AIM: This study sought to investigate the influence of intervention by therapists at night on the patient's ADL's, number of falls, etc. On convalescent rehabilitation units in order to examine the efficacy of the intervention. METHODS: The study subjects included patients hospitalized on 11 convalescent rehabilitation units. The period of intervention by the therapists at night and the period of no intervention were each set for three months. The improvements in the ADL scores during each period were compared, and the changes in the number of falls were examined. In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted among the night shift staff in order to examine the need for intervention. RESULTS: The patients who received intervention by therapists at night showed higher scores for BI, FIM, etc. and fewer falls than those treated without intervention. The results of the questionnaire survey indicated differences between the therapists and other professionals regarding their attitude toward working the night shift. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that intervention by therapists at night results in favorable outcomes, e.g., improvements in the patient's ADL's and a reduction in the number of falls. Although there are issues to be discussed with respect to raising awareness among therapists and concerns regarding work-related problems, intervention by therapists at night has the possibility to be used as a new treatment strategy on rehabilitation units.

Exploring a public-private partnership new-graduate physiotherapy recruitment program: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: Difficulty in attracting allied health staff to rural areas is well known. In 2012, a small rural health facility and local private practice created an informal public-private partnership to recruit two new-graduate physiotherapists. Graduates were employed part-time in both the public and private sectors. DESIGN: This qualitative case study employed an appreciative enquiry framework to explore this partnership model. Three focus groups were held, and a combination of content and thematic analysis was used to derive and organise themes arising from the data. SETTING: A regional public health service and private physiotherapy practice in the Bega Valley region of south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: New-graduate and second-year physiotherapists (n = 5), private sector managers (n = 3), and public sector managers (n = 4). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Perceived benefits of the partnership model and improvements that could be made to further develop the model. RESULTS: Organisational benefits of a shared public-private role included the ability to attract high-quality applicants to difficult-to-fill positions, reduced the risk of new-graduate attrition due to social isolation, enhanced networking between sectors, and enhanced staff skill development through a broad range of clinical and non-clinical experiences. The model relied on management flexibility and has potential to expand to other areas and professions. Dedicated funding support, targeted recruitment strategies and increased planning to ease the transition into the workplace would further enhance the model. CONCLUSIONS: An informal public-private partnership to overcome established workforce shortages has proven successful to the benefit of the new graduates and both the public and private sectors.

Physical therapy workforce shortage for aging and aged societies in Thailand.

According to demographic changes, the size of the aging population has rapidly increased. Thailand has been facing the "aging society" since 2005 and the "aged society" has been projected to appear by the year 2025. Increased life expectancy is associated with health problems and risks, specifically chronic diseases and disability. Aging and aged societies and related specific conditions as stroke require the provision of services from health professionals. The shortage of the physical therapy workforce in Thailand has been reported. This study investigated the size of physical therapy workforce required for the approaching aging society of Thailand and estimated the number of needed physical therapists, specifically regarding stroke condition. Evidently, the issue of the physical therapy workforce to serve aging and aged societies in Thailand requires advocating and careful arranging.

Diversifying the Physical Therapist Workforce Through Holistic Hiring, Admissions, and Retention Processes.

In 2002, the Institute of Medicine's recommendations emphasized diversifying the health care workforce to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. Despite these efforts, the physical therapist profession remains predominantly White. The College of Saint Mary Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program employs deliberate strategies through 2 committees, faculty search and admissions, to foster diversity in both faculty and student populations. The DPT Program Faculty Search Committee, in collaboration with the human resource department, devised a comprehensive 3-phase recruitment process aimed at attracting qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds. Through purposeful mission-driven and equity-focused strategies, this approach has yielded a faculty body characterized by diversity, with 80% of faculty members self-identifying as belonging to historically excluded groups. Similarly, the Admissions Committee has adopted proactive measures to ensure a diverse student body. By implementing a holistic admissions process recommended by the Association of American Medical Colleges, including evaluating prerequisite courses and eliminating the Graduate Record Examination requirement, the committee has facilitated more equitable access to the program. Virtual interviews and thorough candidate assessments are conducted to mitigate potential biases in the selection process. As a result, these efforts have allowed us to maintain diverse cohorts, with 20% to 30% of our student body identifying as members of historically excluded groups. IMPACT: Developing and sustaining a physical therapist workforce that reflects the communities it serves necessitates purposeful, mission-driven, and equitable strategies. These strategies aim to broaden the diversity of both faculty and student populations. Through such initiatives, we aim to foster an inclusive environment that reflects our society's richness, enabling us to better understand society's complex needs and mitigate health disparities.

The supply and demand for rehabilitation health workforce in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Adequate supply of rehabilitation health workforce is a prerequisite for enhancing access to rehabilitation care. However, there is a lack of comprehensive data regarding the supply of rehabilitation health workers in Saudi Arabia. Aims: To determine the need for, and supply of, rehabilitation workforce, and investigate the relationship between rehabilitation workforce supply and rehabilitation needs in Saudi Arabia. Methodology: This cross-sectional study measured the ratio of physiotherapists and occupational therapists per 10 000 population. Data were obtained from the Ministry of Health, family health survey and census data of the General Authority for Statistics and published literature. To assess the need for rehabilitation services, we computed a composite disability index based on 3 variables: count of individuals with physical disabilities, those with chronic diseases, and those aged > 65 years. Determinants of the supply potential were population size, rural population percentage, and physician supply. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression. Results: The ratios of physiotherapists and occupational therapists working at the Ministry of Health facilities were 0.69 and 0.03 per 10 000 population, respectively. Overall rehabilitation health workforce ratio was 0.73 per 10 000. Supply varied across regions, from 0.4 for Riyadh to 2.5 for Al Jouf. Nine regions exceeded the overall ratio. Rehabilitation need index ranged from 0.144 in Najran to 0.212 in Aseer. No significant associations were found between rehabilitation workforce supply on one hand, and need and other potential determinants on the other hand. Conclusion: The rehabilitation workforce supply in Saudi Arabia surpassed the regional and global averages, but was lower than the average for high-income countries. Workforce distribution varied by region across the country and was not related to need. It is important to consider the need for rehabilitation services and context-specific factors when determining the optimal size and distribution of the rehabilitation health workforce in Saudi Arabia.

Recruitment and retention of occupational therapists and physiotherapists in rural regions: a meta-synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Significant efforts have been made to address the shortage of health professionals in rural communities. In the face of increasing demand for rehabilitation services, strategies for recruiting and retaining occupational therapists (OTs) and physiotherapists (PTs) have yielded limited success. This study aims to broaden the understanding of factors associated with recruitment and retention of OTs and PTs in rural regions, through a synthesis of evidence from qualitative studies found in the literature. METHODS: A systematic search of three databases was conducted for studies published between 1980 - 2009 specific to the recruitment and retention of OTs and PTs to rural areas. Studies deemed eligible were appraised using the McMaster Critical Review Form. Employing an iterative process, we conducted a thematic analysis of studies and developed second order interpretations to gain new insight into factors that influence rural recruitment and retention. RESULTS: Of the 615 articles retrieved, 12 qualitative studies met the eligibility criteria. Our synthesis revealed that therapists' decision to locate, stay or leave rural communities was influenced to a greater degree by the availability of and access to practice supports, opportunities for professional growth and understanding the context of rural practice, than by location. The second-order analysis revealed the benefits of a strength-based inquiry in determining recruitment and retention factors. The themes that emerged were 1) support from the organization influences retention, 2) with support, challenges can become rewards and assets, and 3) an understanding of the challenges associated with rural practice prior to arrival influences retention. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-synthesis illustrates how universally important practice supports are in the recruitment and retention of rehabilitation professionals in rural practice. While not unique to rural practice, the findings of this synthesis provide employers and health service planners with information necessary to make evidence-informed decisions regarding recruitment and retention to improve availability of health services for rural residents.

Rapid implementation and improvement of a virtual student placement model in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Practice-based learning via clinical placement is a core part of a physiotherapy degree with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy requiring completion of 1000 placement hours over a preregistration degree programme. In April 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown Connect Health had to cancel 10 student placements as we transitioned to virtual consultations for all clinics. This cancellation of student placements was replicated across the nation with many Higher Education Institutes reporting a backlog of student placements. Without the requisite placement hours students are unable to progress into the next academic year or are unable to graduate. This then reduces the flow of new-graduate physiotherapists into the workforce at a time when there is a plan to grow the physiotherapy workforce to meet primary care demand. In response to this problem a novel placement model to facilitate virtual student placements ('virtual placements') was developed, tested and then rolled out across Connect Health using the Plan-Do-Study-Act quality improvement methodology. The model combines shadowing a broad range of virtual clinics with delivery of patient-facing online exercise classes via the Facebook Live platform and completion of virtual projects to support knowledge consolidation. This virtual student placement model enabled an increase in student capacity of over 400% compared with 2018-2019 with 182 students starting between May and August 2020. The model runs using widely available technology, requires no additional investment and has enabled these students to continue their studies and progress towards qualifying as physiotherapists.

Physiotherapy services in the face of a pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Physiotherapy services are necessary for hospitalized patients of COVID-19 as well as chronic patients. Thus, physiotherapists present an increased risk of exposure to coronavirus. This study aimed to determine the number of physiotherapists who interrupted their services because of the COVID-19 pandemic and to verify the procedures adopted by the ones who are still working. METHODS: The sample comprised 619 physiotherapists who worked in Portugal, 154 (24.9%) male and 465 (75.1%) female, aged between 22 and 67 years (34.47±8.70). The measurement instrument was an on-line questionnaire applied in late March 2020 through contacts and social networks. RESULTS: 453 (73.2%) physiotherapists interrupted their work activities in person because of the pandemic and 166 (26.8%) continue to work in person. The main measures adopted by physical therapists who continue to work in person included: hand washing (21.5%), mask use (20.3%), material disinfection (19.3%) and, glove use (19.3%). Of the physiotherapists who are not working in person (n = 453), 267 (58.9%) continue to monitor their patients at a distance, and 186 (41.1%) are not monitoring the patients. The main measures used by physiotherapists to monitor their patients at a distance included: written treatment prescription (38%), making explanatory videos (26.7%), and synchronous video conference treatment (23.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Our data revealed that most of the physiotherapists interrupted their face-to-face practices because of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, once they do not follow up their patients' treatment in person, most of them adapted to monitor their patients from a distance.

A review advocating caution with Major League Soccer expansion and investment in more rehabilitation professionals.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Major League Soccer (MLS) has aggressively expanded from 10 teams to 23 teams. With the addition of more teams, the league will have to dictate a schedule that maximizes the league's popularity, while also maintaining the health of the players. A longer season and congested game schedule could increase the risk of injury for players. The purpose of this commentary is to make recommendations for the prevention of injuries among MLS players with respect to proposed league expansion. DESCRIPTION OF TOPIC: MLS has lengthened the regular season with each expansion in teams. An increase in season length was seen in conjunction with the MLS expansion from 14 to 19 teams during the 2008 through 2013 seasons. Data from the inaugural MLS season found injury rates were higher in games compared to practices and more injuries occurred later in the season. With the expansion of MLS, anterior cruciate ligament tears appeared to have increased each year. DISCUSSION: Current evidence suggests the implementation of a proper preseason in addition to the once-per-week game frequency would best promote player health and well-being. Players may benefit from in-season injury prevention training and weekly load monitoring.

A profile of physiotherapy supply in Ireland.

BACKGROUND: The lack of information on public and private physiotherapy supply in Ireland makes current and future resource allocation decisions difficult. AIM: This paper estimates the supply of physiotherapists in Ireland and profiles physiotherapists across acute and non-acute sectors, and across public and private practice. It examines geographic variation in physiotherapist supply, examining the implications of controlling for healthcare need. METHODS: Physiotherapist headcounts are estimated using Health Service Personnel Census (HSPC) and Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP) Register data. Headcounts are converted to whole-time equivalents (WTEs) using the HSPC and a survey of ISCP members to account for full- and part-time working practices. Non-acute supply per 10,000 population in each county is estimated to examine geographic inequalities and the raw population is adjusted in turn for a range of need indicators. RESULTS: An estimated 3172 physiotherapists were practising in Ireland in 2015; 6.8 physiotherapists per 10,000, providing an estimated 2620 WTEs. Females accounted for 74% of supply. Supply was greater in the non-acute sector; 1774 WTEs versus 846 WTEs in the acute sector. Physiotherapists in the acute sector were located mainly in publicly financed institutions (89%) with an even public/private split observed in the non-acute sector. Non-acute physiotherapist supply is unequally distributed across Ireland (Gini coefficient = 0.12; 95% CI 0.08-0.15), and inequalities remain after controlling for variations in healthcare needs across counties. CONCLUSION: The supply of physiotherapists in Ireland is 30% lower than the EU-28 average. Substantial inequality in the distribution of physiotherapists across counties is observed.

Physical Therapist Education and the Labor Market in Brazil: Advances and Challenges.

BACKGROUND: In Brazil, the number of physical therapy education programs and, consequently, of professionals has been growing for the past 20 years. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to describe the evolution and distribution of physical therapist education programs in Brazil and to analyze the impact of workforce growth on the labor market for these professionals. DESIGN: This was a descriptive, exploratory, quantitative study. METHODS: Secondary data collected from official sources in Brazil were used. RESULTS: The first physical therapist education program was created in 1958, and, after significant growth, 536 programs were active in 2014. The historical series (1996-2014) shows a corresponding increase in the number of admissions by higher educational institutions. This expansion resulted in an increase in the number of professionals, with an impact on the labor market. The workforce in physical therapy is predominantly female, and women increased their participation in this labor market from 59% in 1996 to 81% in 2014. An increase in nominal monthly salaries was observed over the years from US $797.00 in 1996 to US $1056.00 in 2014. Nevertheless, the real average salaries, that is, salaries adjusted to inflation, have followed a trend of devaluation. LIMITATIONS: Results of this study must be interpreted in terms of overall trends rather than as precise absolute numbers due to the inherent nature of the varied secondary data sources. CONCLUSIONS: These data can support further discussion on training and the labor market in the field of physical therapy.