Canadian Action Plan Targets Underdiagnosis of Peripheral Artery Disease in High-Risk Groups
The Canadian PAD action plan reframes leg claudication as an early systemic cardiovascular signal rather than an isolated orthopedic complaint. It exposes training gaps, testing access disparities, and outcome inequities that current guidelines have not closed. Next required evidence is a controlled rollout measuring ABI utilization and amputation rates pre- and post-intervention.
Implementation hinges on primary-care uptake of point-of-care ABI devices and targeted health-literacy campaigns. Without measurable increases in testing volume within two years, the plan risks remaining aspirational rather than altering the trajectory of late-stage presentations.
Health Canada: National ABI testing volume in primary care will rise at least 25% within 24 months in provinces adopting the action plan.
Sources (3)
- [1]Primary Source(https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-leg-pain-condition-peripheral-artery.html)
- [2]Supporting Source(https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001156)
- [3]Supporting Source(https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2791234)