Canadians in rural and remote areas not getting proper arthritis care and treatment: Physiotherapists offer a solution during Arthritis Awareness Month
TORONTO, Sept. 11 – September is Arthritis Awareness Month and the Canadian Physiotherapy Association is taking this opportunity to highlight some of the serious concerns facing people with arthritis. The Arthritis Society says approximately 4.5 million Canadians have arthritis. As the baby boomer population ages, one million more per decade will be diagnosed with the debilitating disease. Yet despite this disturbing scenario many communities, especially those in rural and remote areas, do not have adequate access to health services. A decline in the number of arthritis care specialists (rheumatologists), and falling enrolment in rheumatology training programs in Canada, has substantially reduced the number of medical professionals who have traditionally cared for patients with arthritis.(1)”As physiotherapists, we are well aware of the devastating consequences, including increased morbidity and even mortality that arthritis and related conditions can have if left undetected and thus unmanaged,” says Katie Lundon, Coordinator for the Advanced Clinician Practitioner in Arthritis Care Program at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
First Nations communities in Canada are particularly at risk if arthritis care services are not improved. “Canadian aboriginal people have a higher prevalence of arthritis. 19% of them have arthritis compared to about 16% of non-Aboriginals,” according to Linda Li, an arthritis expert at the University of British Columbia and Arthritis Research Centre of Canada. “Aboriginal people also report higher levels of disability from arthritis than non-aboriginals. Access to ongoing, comprehensive care is absolutely essential for them.”
One of the ways to improve access for people with arthritis living in Aboriginal communities and other remote and under-serviced areas is to have more advanced practice physiotherapists, like the ones currently being trained in the Advanced Clinician Practitioner in Arthritis Care Program (ACPAC) at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. While physiotherapists cannot replace rheumatologists they can work in valuable triage capacity and also provide ongoing monitoring of patients with stable conditions.
“It has been the goal of the ACPAC program to be part of the solution to the shortage of traditional medical specialists in Ontario, by offering a rigorous academic and clinical training program in arthritis care to create advanced practice practitioners competent in the delivery of arthritis care,” says Katie Lundon. “Some of those physiotherapists are already working in small Northern Ontario communities, and are making a significant difference to the health of arthritis patients.”(2)
The Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) supports the development of expanded roles for physiotherapists. “It’s clear that with the challenges the health care system is facing, the demand for arthritis care services is going to outweigh the supply,” says Michael Brennan, CEO of CPA. “We need to plan for new and innovative methods of delivering these vital health care services and the advanced practice physiotherapists are certainly one way to accomplish this.”
The Canadian Physiotherapy Association is calling on health professionals, academic institutions, regulatory bodies, and policy makers to consider the expanded role of physiotherapists in the health care continuum as a way of improving arthritis care to those Canadians who need it the most.
CPA looks forward to dialogue and collaboration with stakeholders in moving forward with solutions that benefit the health of all Canadians.
About CPA
The Canadian Physiotherapy Association is the national voluntary professional association, representing more than 10,000 members across the country. CPA’s mission is to provide leadership and direction to the physiotherapy profession, foster excellence in practice, education and research, and promote high standards of health in Canada. Additional information can be found on our website.
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For further information: Media Contact: For information and spokesperson interview, contact Virginia Bawlf, National Media Relations Liaison, (416) 932-1888 (x222), (647) 379-4145 (cell), vbawlf@physiotherapy.ca.
