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Month: November 2025

World Prematurity Day: giving premature babies a safe start to a brighter future

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World Prematurity Day takes place on 17 November and aims to raise awareness of the impact of premature birth, reinforcing the importance of improving care for babies and support for their families.
 
Under the slogan “Giving premature babies a safe start to a brighter future”, the 2025 edition calls for concerted action to ensure that all babies born prematurely have access to the healthcare, monitoring and environment they need to grow and develop healthily.
 
This theme is inspired by the World Health Organisation's World Health Day motto “Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures” and reflects the global commitment to ensuring that every premature baby has the best possible start in life.
The Order of Physiotherapists joins this date, highlighting the role of Paediatric Physiotherapy in supporting motor development, preventing respiratory and musculoskeletal complications and promoting the bond between parents and babies.
 
The physiotherapist's intervention is essential for:

- supporting the overall development of premature babies;
- promote comfort and stability during hospitalisation;
- empowering parents and carers, helping them to understand and participate in daily care;
- ensure continuity of care after hospital discharge, monitoring the child's growth and functionality.
 
On this day, the colour purple is once again the universal symbol of prematurity, representing the sensitivity and uniqueness of each baby. The website of the Order of Physiotherapists is therefore displayed in this colour, as a sign of support and awareness for this cause.

World Diabetes Day 2025: know more and act more for diabetes at work

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World Diabetes Day takes place on 14 November, a date established in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in memory of Frederick Banting, one of those responsible for the discovery of insulin. This day aims to raise awareness of the growing impact of diabetes, reinforce the importance of prevention and promote healthier living and working environments.

Under the slogan “Diabetes and well-being at work”, the 2025 campaign calls on employers and workers around the world to “know more and do more for diabetes at work”, promoting inclusive, informed and supportive workplaces. Millions of people face daily challenges in managing diabetes in the workplace, from stigma and discrimination to the difficulty of balancing healthcare with work demands, which has a direct impact on physical and psychological well-being.

According to the IDF, 7 out of 10 people with diabetes are of working age; 3 out of 4 live with anxiety, depression or another mental health disorder associated with the disease; 4 out of 5 report exhaustion or burnout related to the daily management of diabetes.

By 2025, it is estimated that 589 million people worldwide will be living with diabetes and this figure could reach 853 million by 2050. In Portugal, it affects around 1.4 million people, which represents 14.2% of the population between the ages of 20 and 79, according to the Annual Report of the National Diabetes Observatory.

The Order of Physiotherapists emphasises that the fight against diabetes must be based on a multidimensional approach that combines prevention, education, training and functional rehabilitation, guaranteeing an integrated and sustainable response.

Physiotherapy plays a decisive role in all stages of the disease:

  • contributes to primary prevention by promoting physical activity, health education and reducing sedentary lifestyles;
  • supports the empowerment of people at risk and those living with diabetes, reinforcing knowledge about the disease and strategies for its daily management;
  • intervenes in a targeted way to prevent complications such as circulatory changes, foot ulcers, chronic kidney disease or musculoskeletal limitations;
  • and works to promote mobility, functionality and autonomy, preventing more serious situations such as amputations.

For the general population and for people at risk of developing diabetes, the focus of physiotherapy intervention is awareness and education about risk factors and the essential tools for their prevention. For people with diagnosed diabetes, training and ongoing monitoring are essential to improve self-management of the condition and reduce the risk of serious complications.

Working in conjunction with other health professionals, physiotherapists make a decisive contribution to improving quality of life, preventing disability and supporting full integration into working life.

On this World Diabetes Day, The Order of Physiotherapists joins the global call to “know more and act more for diabetes at work”, reaffirming its commitment to promoting the health, well-being and inclusion of people with diabetes in all contexts of their personal and professional lives.

World Stroke Day: Physiotherapy saves lives and improves quality of life

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Stroke continues to be the leading cause of death and disability in Portugal, with around 25,000 cases a year and three occurrences every hour. Of these, at least one person dies and another is left with sequelae, often of working age. On World Stroke Day, marked on 29 October, the Order of Physiotherapists reinforces the importance of prevention, rehabilitation and the creation of structured care pathways that guarantee equitable access to physiotherapy at all stages of the disease.

Stroke mainly affects people of working age, requiring an integrated approach that begins with primary prevention. Physiotherapy plays a central role in this area, contributing to the promotion of physical activity, assessment of functional fitness, management of risk factors and health education throughout the life cycle. Regular physical exercise, a balanced diet, control of hypertension and diabetes, smoking cessation and a reduction in alcohol consumption can prevent up to 80% of strokes.

In the post-acute phase, the intervention of physiotherapists is crucial to recovering mobility, functionality and autonomy, reducing complications and improving the quality of life of those affected. Rehabilitation must be early, intensive and adapted to individual needs, also involving family members and carers to ensure a safe and sustainable recovery.

The current reality, however, shows that only 30% of stroke survivors in Portugal have access to intensive rehabilitation care, and around 65% do not receive adequate multi-professional follow-up. The Order of Physiotherapists therefore advocates the implementation of a clear and structured care pathway that allows direct and rapid access to physiotherapy and ensures continuity of care from hospitalisation to rehabilitation in the community.

Strengthening human resources in physiotherapy, improving coordination between levels of care and creating innovative models such as the “Via Verde à Fisioterapia” or the “Cheque Fisioterapeuta” are fundamental measures to save lives, reduce disability and promote functional recovery.

World Stroke Day is an opportunity to renew our commitment to public policies that put prevention and functional recovery at the centre of health priorities in Portugal. Physiotherapy is essential on this path - from prevention to rehabilitation - helping to transform survival into quality of life.

Pedro Maciel Barbosa

Specialist physiotherapist at the Matosinhos Local Health Unit Sub-coordinator for Primary Health Care, Matosinhos Local Health Unit Visiting Assistant Professor at the Porto School of Health Member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Health - SNS Member of the General Council of the Order of Physiotherapists

Carlos Sand

Carlos Areia has been a physiotherapist since 2013, and has worked in various hospitals, clinics and clubs in both Portugal and the UK. He began his academic career at Oxford University in 2016, where he led a clinical trial comparing physiotherapy vs surgery in anterior cruciate injuries in 32 hospitals in England. In 2018 she moved to the neurosciences department, where she developed her own studies on remote monitoring of vital signs, which were implemented during the pandemic. Here he discovered his passion for data, and in 2022, he joined Digital Science as a Data Scientist. He completed his PhD earlier this year, and has more than 60 publications in journals such as The Lancet, BMJ, Cochrane, among others. He is also an honorary lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and a consultant in clinical research.

Eduardo José Brazete Carvalho Cruz

PhD in Physiotherapy from the University of Brighton, UK. Post-Doctorate in Epidemiology from the National School of Public Health at the New University of Lisbon.
Coordinator of the Studies and Planning Office of the Order of Physiotherapists. Coordinating Professor of the Physiotherapy Department of the School of Health of the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal (ESS-IPS). President of the ESS-IPS Technical-Scientific Council. Coordinator of the Physiotherapy Department at ESS-IPS. Integrated Researcher at the Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC) (a partnership between FCM-UNL, the National School of Public Health, the University of Évora, the Lisbon Institute of Global Mental Health and Santo Espírito Hospital, Terceira Island, Azores).

Sara Souto Miranda

Sara Souto Miranda has a bachelor's and master's degree in physiotherapy from the University of Aveiro, and a postgraduate qualification in adult respiratory physiotherapy from the same institution. In 2023 she completed her double doctorate in Rehabilitation Sciences/Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at the Universities of Aveiro and Maastricht (Netherlands) and is currently working as a technical-scientific advisor to the Studies and Planning Office (GEP) of the Order of Physiotherapists, and as a guest lecturer at the Piaget Institute in Vila Nova de Gaia. As a member of the Respiratory Research and Rehabilitation Laboratory at the University of Aveiro (Lab3R), she has carried out applied research in which she has assessed and treated patients with respiratory pathology, having taken part in 6 research projects. Throughout her career she has published 19 scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals with an impact factor, 1 book chapter and more than 50 abstracts in conference proceedings. She was a research volunteer at the Ciro rehabilitation centre (Centre for expertise in chronic organ failure) in the Netherlands, and is currently a member of the Guideline Methodology Network of European Respiratory Society. She was honoured by European Lung Foundation e European Respiratory Society for carrying out patient-centred research, by the Directorate General for Higher Education with a merit grant for his master's degree, and by the Ciro Centre with a grant to support research abroad.

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