ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN BIOETHICAL PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED BY PHYSIOTHERAPISTS IN RONDÔNIA: A COMPARISON BEFORE AND DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

Abstract

This is an empirical, descriptive, and qualitative investigation developed to identify and analyze the main bioethical problems experienced by physiotherapists working in the state of Rondônia during the Covid-19 pandemic. The research sought to understand, through Bardin's Content Analysis method, how these professionals experienced dilemmas related to resource allocation, decision-making in contexts of uncertainty, conflicts between technicality and humanization, and emerging ethical challenges in healthcare. The qualitative approach allowed for the exploration of individual and collective perceptions, meanings, and experiences, providing insights into the complexity of the scenarios faced and their implications for physiotherapy practice and bioethical reflection during and after the pandemic. Data collection was carried out using a semi-structured questionnaire, developed and made available on the Google Forms® platform. At the end of the application period, four responses were obtained from physiotherapists who met the established inclusion criteria. Although the number of participants may seem small, this characteristic does not compromise the depth or validity of the analysis, especially in qualitative studies. The content analysis proposed by Bardin, used to analyze the responses, does not depend on large volumes of data, but on the relevance, consistency, and interpretative potential of the units of meaning produced by the participants. In investigations that seek to understand perceptions, experiences, and ethical dilemmas, the quality of the narratives is more decisive than the numerical size of the sample. Thus, even with a limited set of responses, it was possible to identify significant thematic categories capable of revealing emerging bioethical tensions during the Covid-19 pandemic and illuminating central aspects of physiotherapy practice in crisis contexts. The findings showed that the pandemic intensified existing bioethical problems and brought new challenges related to decision-making in scenarios of uncertainty and structural limitations. The identified categories revealed tensions between principles such as autonomy, beneficence, and justice, demonstrating both weaknesses and potential in physiotherapy practice. The results reinforce the need to strengthen ethical reflection and professional preparedness for crisis situations, contributing to advances in bioethics applied to physiotherapy.