Canadian Physiotherapy Association
Canadian Physiotherapy Association

COVID-19

The CPA is working with our partners across the country to support the ongoing management of the outbreak, offering our support and recognizing the critical roles physiotherapists play in supporting the health care system, including hospitals.

Currently, we are: 

  1. Supporting the regulators who have created rosters of health care professionals to mobilize as demand increases in hospitals.
  2. Supporting the deployment of the federal government roster for those provinces who have yet to establish a provincial list.
  3. Collating resources and training materials that can be used by physiotherapists interested in learning more about what is needed in an acute respiratory hospital setting.
  4. Offering our unwavering support for other initiatives to be determined in conjunction with regulators, Ministries of Health, and hospitals.

Here is more information in each of these areas:

Supporting the regulators who have created rosters of health care professionals to mobilize as demand increases in hospitals.

Over the past two weeks, we have been working actively with our partners at the Branches and the Provincial Colleges to equip the Ministries of Health with health care practitioner rosters. 

We recognize that physiotherapists have an essential role to play in addressing the stress placed in the hospital setting as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Ontario and Quebec both have active calls for health care practitioners, including physiotherapists, which you can submit to (you do not need to add your name to both the federal and provincial lists). 

Supporting the deployment of the federal government roster for those provinces who have yet to establish a provincial list.

While Ontario and Quebec have created formal rosters (see below), the CPA is also supporting the federal government’s development of a national roster for those provinces not currently managing their own lists or whose lists have closed.  

Federal List

If you are considering returning to practice (from retirement, etc.), please review the professional liability considerations on return to practice during COVID-19 provided by CPA’s Insurance Broker, BMS Group.

Collating resources and training materials that can be used by physiotherapists interested in learning more about what is needed in an acute respiratory hospital setting.

The CPA is working to ensure information is made available to physiotherapists across the country to support the management of the COVID-19 outbreak and to support our partners at the Ministries of Health, Provincial Colleges, and hospitals as they make human resource decisions in anticipation of demand.  

We’ve been collaborating with our Division experts and international physiotherapy association colleagues on accessing, creating, and sharing training and tools for physiotherapists. 

  • Online Courses: The CPA’s Cardiorespiratory Division has four online courses available that may be of interest to physiotherapists affected by the global pandemic of COVID-19. The fee has been waived and these courses are available at no charge. Please visit here for more information.
     
  • Guidelines: The CPA has endorsed the international guidelines developed by a team of expert researchers and clinicians, including lead author Dr. Peter Thomas, PhD, BPhty (Hons), within the intensive care and acute cardiorespiratory fields. The “Physiotherapy Management for COVID-19 in the Acute Hospital Setting: Recommendations to guide clinical practice” covers recommendations for physiotherapy management for COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting and includes recommendations for physiotherapy workforce planning and preparation, a screening tool for determining requirement of physiotherapy, the selection of physiotherapy treatments, and personal protective equipment.
     
  • Additional Resources: More information and educational resources can be found here.

Offering our unwavering support for other initiatives to be determined in conjunction with regulators, Ministries of Health, and hospitals.

The CPA is ensuring that, in addition to the support outlined above, we are:

  • Developing a CPA COVID-19 Advocacy Plan that includes key messages such as “physiotherapy is an essential partner in the urgent and emergency response to COVID-19,” ensuring that:
     
    • Those with infectious diseases like COVID-19 may require access to essential and urgent physiotherapy services, particularly cardiorespiratory physiotherapy focused on management of acute complications of COVID-19 infection and as they recover.
       
    • Physiotherapy is a necessary component of post-acute care and vital to ensuring ongoing capacity of acute hospital beds when Canadians will need them most.
      • e.g., rehabilitating Canadians who are recovering from COVID-19 and have developed other conditions.
      • e.g., helping to keep non-COVID-19 conditions out of hospitals to free up resources.
         
    • All health professionals, including physiotherapists and physiotherapist assistants, providing front line, emergency and urgent care must have access to the recommended PPE for the protection of patients, health professionals, and our communities.
       
  • Celebrating the successes of initiatives making an impact on the front lines, including: