Canada's Prosthetic Coverage: a Review of Provincial Prosthetic Policy

C W Howard; D K Saraswat; G McLeod; A Yeung; D Jeong; J Lam

doi:10.33137/cpoj.v2i2.33489

Canada's Prosthetic Coverage: a Review of Provincial Prosthetic Policy

Can Prosthet Orthot J. 2020 Mar 16;2(2):33489. doi: 10.33137/cpoj.v2i2.33489. eCollection 2019.

Authors

C W Howard¹, D K Saraswat², G McLeod³, A Yeung³, D Jeong⁴, J Lam⁵

Affiliations

¹ Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
² Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
³ Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁵ Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.

Abstract

The Canadian healthcare system serves as an example of equity and federal service to citizens across the world. However, it is not without its challenges. Prosthetic coverage across Canada is highly variable and largely unable to provide equal coverage for Canadian persons living with amputation. Many persons with limb loss are forced to rely upon personal resources, fundraising, or the charity of non-governmental organizations in order to meet this basic healthcare need. This disparity in the Canadian healthcare system is unusual and largely undescribed in the literature. We thus explore the nature of Canadian healthcare prosthetic coverage across Canada, investigating the variability in coverage, presence of prosthetic coverage policies, clarity of policy, eligibility criteria, and interval of prosthetic replacement. Our findings highlight potential areas for improvement within current Canadian healthcare policy.

Keywords: Amputation; Amputees; Healthcare; Limb loss; Prosthesis; Prosthetic coverage; Rehabilitation.