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 Quebec in 2016:

More Quebecers received their hip replacements within the benchmark time frame: at least 4 out of 5 patients in 2016. This was above the Canadian average.

Wait times for cataract surgery remained stable over the past 5 years, with more than 4 out of 5 patients receiving their surgery within the medically accepted wait time.

Nearly all patients in Quebec (98%) started their radiation therapy within the benchmark.

The table below compares the Quebec 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 Quebec Percentage meeting

benchmark in Canada 2012 2016 2012 2016 Hip replacement 182 days 79 85 81 79 Knee replacement 182 days 76 80 76 73 Cataract surgery 112 days 88 86 83 73 Hip fracture repair 48 hours n/a* n/a* 81 86 Radiation therapy 28 days 98 98 97 97



Notes * There is no comparable data for hip fracture repair in Quebec. 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

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

Related Links

www.cihi.ca

