In Ontario, wait times became an issue a while back so now the government runs a website http://www.health.gov.on.ca/transformation/length_of_stay/index.html
You can look up how well your local hospital is doing in comparison to the provincial targets and averages. The hospital that I work at manages to get 9 out of 10 “Minor or uncomplicated conditions/requiring less time for diagnosis, treatment or observation” seen and out the door in 5.3 hours or less – which means we’re not meeting the provincial average and target. We’re working on this – we’ve proposed new strategies to the ministry of health and received additional funding to implement them. For “Complex conditions/requiring more time for diagnosis, treatment or hospital bed admission” we’re also not meeting the average or target, and again, we’re working on it. Apparently we’re doing better than Calgary though: our ‘total time’* for 9 out of 10 patients is 14.3 hours.

I suppose any health care system is only as good as it’s weakest link – I just don’t want the assumption to be that the entire Canadian health care system is a mess. Or that we’re not trying to get any better.

Sarah, Your lowly ward pharmacist, fine purveyor of quality drug information, medication counsellings, med histories, and renal dosing calculations. Also known as the antibiotic over-treatment dragon-lady.

*“Total Time Spent in the ER” is the maximum amount of time 9 out of 10 patients spend in an ER receiving care or waiting for admission to a hospital bed. It begins when a patient registers until the patient is discharged or is admitted to a hospital bed.
BTW I love your blog!

In Ontario, wait times became an issue a while back so now the government runs a website http://www.health.gov.on.ca/transformation/length_of_stay/index.html
You can look up how well your local hospital is doing in comparison to the provincial targets and averages. The hospital that I work at manages to get 9 out of 10 “Minor or uncomplicated conditions/requiring less time for diagnosis, treatment or observation” seen and out the door in 5.3 hours or less – which means we’re not meeting the provincial average and target. We’re working on this – we’ve proposed new strategies to the ministry of health and received additional funding to implement them. For “Complex conditions/requiring more time for diagnosis, treatment or hospital bed admission” we’re also not meeting the average or target, and again, we’re working on it. Apparently we’re doing better than Calgary though: our ‘total time’* for 9 out of 10 patients is 14.3 hours.

I suppose any health care system is only as good as it’s weakest link – I just don’t want the assumption to be that the entire Canadian health care system is a mess. Or that we’re not trying to get any better.

Sarah, Your lowly ward pharmacist, fine purveyor of quality drug information, medication counsellings, med histories, and renal dosing calculations. Also known as the antibiotic over-treatment dragon-lady.

*“Total Time Spent in the ER” is the maximum amount of time 9 out of 10 patients spend in an ER receiving care or waiting for admission to a hospital bed. It begins when a patient registers until the patient is discharged or is admitted to a hospital bed.