BIOETHICS IN PHYSIOTHERAPY: REFLECTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE IN CRISE SITUATIONS, WITH AN APPROACH TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Bioethics has become a fundamental field for critical reflection and guidance in healthcare practices, particularly in crisis scenarios. Within the scope of physiotherapy, its relevance is especially pronounced in extreme circumstances, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, which exposed significant structural weaknesses in healthcare systems worldwide. Officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020, Covid-19 presented profound ethical challenges for healthcare professionals, demanding swift and complex decisions concerning resource allocation, care prioritization, and the preservation of patient dignity. This study aims to examine the role of bioethical principles in guiding physiotherapeutic practices during crises, with particular emphasis on the challenges encountered throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. It seeks to explore how core ethical values—beneficence, justice, autonomy, and respect for human dignity—influence clinical decision-making in physiotherapy, thereby promoting ethical and humanized care despite constraints such as resource scarcity and the urgency of medical interventions. The research adopted an exploratory approach through an integrative literature review, with data drawn from databases including the Virtual Health Library (VHL), PubMed, Scopus, and SciELO. The data were systematized and analyzed using Bardin’s content analysis method and thematic categorization. Although specific publications addressing the bioethical responsibilities of physiotherapists during the pandemic are limited, the findings underscore the critical need for robust bioethics education within physiotherapy training programs. Decision-making in contexts of limited resources and the treatment of vulnerable patient populations highlight the necessity of reinforcing bioethical principles in academic curricula and ensuring continuous professional support. Such initiatives are essential to enhance the quality of care delivered and to uphold ethical and responsible conduct in response to the complex challenges faced by contemporary physiotherapy.