Wheelchair Classification in Canada?

Q

Quality96 - 2011

After going through the device classification exercise for the Canadian "Risk-Based Classification System", I am still unsure of what classification Powered and Manual Wheelchairs are in Canada. Based on the RBCS, I believe they are class II "Active Therapeutic Device", but they could be a class I "Active Therapeutic Device" also. It's not clear after reading through the info on the Health Canada web site.

Thanks,

Bill
 
R

RAQABJM

In the Canadian "Risk-Based Classification System" is Rule 9 assuming all therapeutic devices administer or withdraw energy from the body? Is the action of a person in a powered or power assist wheelchair being propelled forward what makes them fall into this classification? They are therapeutic devices, no doubt, but there does not seem to be a classification for therapeutic device which do not administer or withdraw energy from the human body. Rule 12 simply calls out active medical devices but it seems to me that power and power assist chairs would fall under Class I unless the propelling counts as administering energy. Please let me know if I misinterpreted the rules but thats what it seems to be to me.
 

Ronen E

Problem Solver
Moderator
In the Canadian "Risk-Based Classification System" is Rule 9 assuming all therapeutic devices administer or withdraw energy from the body? Is the action of a person in a powered or power assist wheelchair being propelled forward what makes them fall into this classification? They are therapeutic devices, no doubt, but there does not seem to be a classification for therapeutic device which do not administer or withdraw energy from the human body. Rule 12 simply calls out active medical devices but it seems to me that power and power assist chairs would fall under Class I unless the propelling counts as administering energy. Please let me know if I misinterpreted the rules but thats what it seems to be to me.

From a pure physics perspective (regulatory systems aside), the application of a force to an object along a path (=Work) is equivalent to administration of energy to that object. Once set in motion, the object has more kinetic energy relative to it's (previous) rest state, so it must have gotten that energy from somewhere. :2cents:
 
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