Presentation at the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health 2009 Symposium

Engaging Patients in HTA in Canada:  what's working and what needs to be done?

By:  Elisabeth Fowler, World Health Advocacy & Durhane Wong-Rieger, Institute for Optomizing Health Outcomes

Journal of Medical and Biological Sciences - Volume 3, Issue 1, 2009
D. Wayne Taylor, Director, Health Leadership Institute, McMaster University
Elisabeth Fowler, Vice-President, World Health Advocacy

Urinary incontinence is one of the most prevalent, untreated chronic conditions for individuals living in Canada. The impact of incontinence on an individual’s quality of life is significant as it negatively affects a person’s physical, psychological, sexual, social and overall quality of life (QOL). Due to the stigma associated with this condition, many individuals do not seek treatment for their incontinence, even though 80% of incontinence cases can be managed or cured.

A majority of Canadians (73.1%) agree that the Government should strongly enforce intellectual property rights in relation to the development of new medicines. [1]

According to a recent survey [1], a majority of Canadians (77 per cent) recognize that innovation – in the medical field as well as other sectors – is essential to the future prosperity of the country. Canadians view encouraging new discoveries and innovations as a more important factor in economic prosperity than cutting business taxes or reducing red tape.