Winter 2023 (Volume 33, Number 4)

New Report Highlights Significant Gaps in Arthritis Care and Research Across Canada

Download PDF

Arthritis Society Canada released the State of Arthritis in Canada Report Card on October 23, 2023, giving low grades to all provinces and territories and underscoring the urgent need for collaboration and innovation in arthritis care.

The report was developed through collaboration within the arthritis community across Canada and stressed the need for a concrete solution-oriented arthritis plan.

Here are the key findings of the State of Arthritis in Canada Report Card:

• Canada needs better arthritis data: Data across the country is inconsistent, insufficient, and too siloed to show a clear picture of the problem and its potential solutions.
• Getting access to care is the challenge: Too many Canadians cannot access arthritis care and demands outweigh system capacity.
• Arthritis research is underfunded: Relative to the burden of disease, including the number of Canadians impacted, more investment is needed in arthritis research.
• Provincial/territorial findings and opportunities for action: The highest grade among all jurisdictions in Canada was a “C,” indicating significant room for improvement and that much work needs to be done.

This report serves as a launch point, with a renewed sense of urgency, focused on collaboration and innovation in the field of arthritis. We must come together as a community, including governments — provincial, territorial, and federal, embracing the power of partnership and leveraging our collective strengths to enact meaningful change.

For more information, read the Arthritis Report Card at arthritis.ca/about-us/what-we-do/advocacy/report-card.