Report Card on Wait Times in Canada

A <strong>Report</strong> <strong>Card</strong> on Wait Times in Canada 2012
Figure 2 for wait times for hip replacement and Figure 3
for knee replacement, these differences are striking and are
present in most provinces.* A variety of factors lies behind
these variations (e.g., lack of operating rooms in some
regions, lack of nurses and specialists, uneven demand, suboptimal
regional coordination, low rates of wait list
pooling). Nevertheless, the causes need to be identified and
strategies must be implemented to reduce them to the
greatest extent possible.
Figure 2
4. Grading provincial wait-time websites
The ideal website should make it easy for patients, family
members and health care providers to determine wait
times in their area in a timely fashion using reliable data.
For the third consecutive year, the WTA rated provincial
wait-time websites as of April–May 2012 using the following
five criteria†:
1. Timely: How often are the website’s wait-time data
updated?
2. Comprehensive: How many procedures are covered?
3. Patient-friendly/Accessibility: How easy it is to find the
wait time by procedure?
4. Performance oriented: Is it easy for patients to determine
how long the wait is compared to the benchmark?
5. Quality/Reliability: Do reported wait times reflect the
actual wait times, and are they reliable?
2012 Results
Figure 3
Table 3 provides the results of the 2012 website grading. We
are pleased to report that the quality of provincial wait-time
websites continues to improve with the average score increasing
from 3.7 out of 5 in 2011 to 3.9 in 2012 for an overall
grade of B. This year, five provinces received a grade of A,
compared to only 1 in 2010. Notwithstanding the improved
grades, the WTA would like to see more comprehensive
reporting by all provinces in such areas as emergency care, cancer
treatment and non-surgical procedures such as psychiatry.
Although it is not included in with the provincial websites,
the Government of Northwest Territories has plans to include
information related to wait times as part of its public reporting
on system performance. This will include the tracking and
monitoring of Alternative Level of Care (ALC) bed days.
This year’s review of provincial wait-time websites includes
input from four patient representative groups as part of an effort
to increase the patient voice in the process.†† A summary of their
comments is presented in Table 4 indicating both the strengths
and weaknesses of current provincial wait-time websites.
* Quebec does not report on wait times using 90th percentile measure so it was not included in this chart. However, a review of wait times for hip and
knee replacement in that province also shows wide variation between its regions (based on percentage of patients treated within the 6 month benchmark).
† A full explanation of the website ratings can be found in the WTA’s technical backgrounder for the 2012 report card.
†† The four participating patient representative groups included: The Canadian Home Care Association; The Canadian Epilepsy Alliance; The Canadian
Arthritis Patient Alliance and The Asthma Society of Canada.
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