Alberta patients continue to wait longer for cataract surgery; other wait times improving or stable

Kathleen Morris, vice president of Research and Analysis at CIHI (CNW Group/Canadian Institute for Health Information)

Audio clip on wait times in Alberta, Kathleen Morris, vice president of Research and Analysis at CIHI

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 Alberta in 2016:

• Fewer patients are receiving cataract surgery within the benchmark time frame. Last year, just more than half of Albertans (58%) received their procedure within the medically acceptable wait time, compared with 69% in 2012.
• At least 3 out of 4 patients who required a hip or knee replacement received their surgery within the 6-month benchmark, but the length of the wait varied depending on where in the province the patient received care.
• More than 9 out of 10 patients had their hip fracture repair surgery within the 48-hour benchmark, an improvement since 2012, when 8 out of 10 patients received their surgery within the benchmark.
• Almost all patients (99%) started their radiation therapy within the 28-day benchmark.

The table below compares the Alberta 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 time that clinical evidence shows is appropriate to wait for a procedure	Percentage meeting benchmark in Alberta		Percentage meeting benchmark in Canada
		2012	2016	2012	2016
Hip replacement	182 days	84	82	81	79
Knee replacement	182 days	79	77	76	73
Cataract surgery	112 days	69	58	83	73
Hip fracture repair	48 hours	80	91	81	86
Radiation therapy	28 days	97	99	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.

SOURCE Canadian Institute for Health Information

Media contact: [email protected], Julie Bortolotti, 613-694-6654

Related Links

www.cihi.ca