Saskatchewan wait times improve for priority procedures since 2012

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

Kathleen Morris, vice president of Research and Analysis at CIHI, discusses wait times in Saskatchewan

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 Saskatchewan in 2016:

• Since 2012, more patients received their hip and knee replacement surgeries within the benchmark time frame. However, variations existed across regions, and wait times depended on where a person received care.
• Saskatchewanians received their cataract surgery faster in 2016 than in 2012. Last year, 79% of patients had surgery within the benchmark.
• Nearly 4 out of 5 patients requiring a hip fracture repair surgery received their procedure within the 48-hour benchmark. This remained stable since 2012.
• Nearly all patients started their radiation therapy within the 28-day benchmark. This rate remained stable since 2012.

The table below compares the Saskatchewan 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 Saskatchewan		Percentage meeting benchmark in Canada
		2012	2016	2012	2016
Hip replacement	182 days	69	80	81	79
Knee replacement	182 days	55	73	76	73
Cataract surgery	112 days	57	79	83	73
Hip fracture repair	48 hours	79	79	81	86
Radiation therapy	28 days	98	97	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

With the exception of 2016, wait times in Saskatchewan have steadily improved since 2012; continued monitoring will determine if the recent decline from 2015 reflects a longer-term trend. 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

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