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Welcome to Worldwide Physical Therapy Practice: a focus on Primary Care Physical Therapy

This is a project created by and for the students in the School of Physical Therapy at the University of St. Augustine in St. Augustine Florida. Please do not edit unless you are involved in this project, but please come back in the near future to check out new information!!

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Patient Access to Physiotherapy or Physical Therapy Services / Entry Point

Physical therapy practice is determined by the type of health coverage, the primary point of entry is the physician who diagnoses, refers and determines the length of the treatment. Some insurances require a pre-authorization process for the duration, frequency and amount of sessions. Copayments are required with most plans. However, in many cases the physical therapist can access patients directly and determine the amount and duration of treatment when the client is paying cash.
Due to the differences in economic, geographical and disability conditions, limited physical therapy access and quality of care represent a difficulty to certain rural populations. Urban areas have the most access to health services.
Physical therapy in Colombia is working towards the standards set by the World Confederation of Physical Therapy (WCPT) in terms of gaining direct access and the recognition of the physical therapist as a primary care provider.

Degree/Credentialing

Physical therapy in Colombia offers many opportunities in the in the areas of clinical intervention, ergonomics and occupational health , physical activity and sports, public health, rehabilitation, education and research. Graduates obtain a university degree with emphasis in academic education, practical rotations and research. Today, physical therapy is offered in 33 programs around the country, with 8 programs accredited with high quality standards.

The physical therapy program duration is 5 years (170 credits divided between mandatory, professional and elective credits). Students have the opportunity as an option for graduation to travel overseas to universities across EU, Australia and Europe.

Specialization

There are 12 specialization programs in cardio pulmonary therapy, neuro rehabilitation, orthopedics, exercise and manual therapy. Also, there are 11 master programs in physical therapy including sports therapy, physical activity and health, epidemiology, human genetics, neuro rehabilitation, occupational health, alternative medicine and disability. At the doctoral level, there are 2 programs offered in biomedical sciences and in public health.

Professional Associations

There are 4 professional associations in Colombia. The first one created was ASCOFI (Asociacion Colombiana de Fisioterapia) which is responsible for professional development with a vision and projection, through research, changes in educational curriculums, specialization programs and teaching programs. Then, ASCOFAFI ( Asociacion Colombiana de facultades de Fisioterapia) was founded, which main focus is on educational programs, awards the best research project on a yearly basis.
COLFI (Colegio Colombiano de Fisioterapeutas) assumes the public functions in Physical therapy. Lastly, ACEFIT (Asociacion Colombiana de Estudiantes de Fisioterapia) was created to motivate students to actively participate in the professional development and organization. Students participate of different activities including research and health brigades.
At this time, these 4 organizations defined a strategic plan for physical therapy 2015-2025, for the strengthening and consolidation of the profession in the next 10 years.