OTTAWA, March 28, 2017 /CNW/ - The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) has released its annual report on wait times for specific priority procedures across the country. The report found the following for Nova Scotia in 2016:
- More patients received their hip or knee replacement surgery within the benchmark time frame of 182 days. However, wait times in Nova Scotia were longer than the pan-Canadian average.
- There were large variations in wait times for joint replacements across regions.
- Less than half of patients (38%) received their knee replacement surgery within the benchmark, compared with the Canadian average of 73%.
- More Nova Scotians are getting faster access to hip fracture repair. Last year, 85% of patients received their surgery within the benchmark, which was an increase from 76% in 2012.
- 65% of patients received their cataract surgery within the benchmark. This was an improvement since 2012 (58%) but still lower than the pan-Canadian average.
- For radiation therapy, 94% of patients started their treatment within the 28-day benchmark, which was an increase since 2012 (89%).
The table below compares the Nova Scotia and national numbers. A higher percentage means that more people had their procedures done within the medically acceptable time frame.
|
Procedure |
Benchmark: The amount of |
Percentage meeting |
Percentage meeting |
||
|
2012 |
2016 |
2012 |
2016 |
||
|
Hip replacement |
182 days |
47 |
56 |
81 |
79 |
|
Knee replacement |
182 days |
33 |
38 |
76 |
73 |
|
Cataract surgery |
112 days |
58 |
65 |
83 |
73 |
|
Hip fracture repair |
48 hours |
76 |
85 |
81 |
86 |
|
Radiation therapy |
28 days |
89 |
94 |
97 |
97 |
|
|
|
Note |
|
For information on wait time definitions and exceptions, please visit the Wait Times tool. |
Wait Times for Priority Procedures in Canada, 2017 also includes information on wait times for diagnostic imaging and cancer surgery. Data on trends from 2008 to 2016 — organized by province, health region and procedure — is available in CIHI's online Wait Times tool. The Wait Times tool also provides an explanation of how wait times are calculated for each priority procedure.
Quote
This report adds to the wait time discussion in Canada, showing that most patients nationally have priority area procedures within recommended time frames. However, we continue to see variability in wait times across provinces and procedures. We hope that this information will help pinpoint areas of focus for improvement.
— Kathleen Morris, Vice President, Research and Analysis, CIHI
About CIHI
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides essential information on Canada's health systems and the health of Canadians.
We provide comparable and actionable data and information that are used to accelerate improvements in health care, health system performance and population health across Canada. Our stakeholders use our broad range of health system databases, measurements and standards, together with our evidence-based reports and analyses, in their decision-making processes. We protect the privacy of Canadians by ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of the health care information we provide.
For further information: Media contact: media@cihi.ca, Julie Bortolotti, 613-694-6654