Howard C, Saraswat D, McLeod G, Yeung A, Jeong D, Lam J. Canada's
Prosthetic Coverage: a Review of Provincial Prosthetic Policy.
Can Prosthet Orthot J 2020;
2:33489. [PMID:
37614768 PMCID:
PMC10443461 DOI:
10.33137/cpoj.v2i2.33489]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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.
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