Moving surgical care out of hospitals to reduce wait times

Interventions to reduce wait times for primary care appointments: a systematic review

BACKGROUND Accessibility and availability are important characteristics of efficient and effective primary healthcare systems. Currently, timely access to a family physician is a concern in Canada. Adverse outcomes are associated with longer wait times for primary care appointments and often leave individuals to rely on urgent care. When wait times for appointments are too long patients may exp...

Improving Wait Times to Care for Individuals with Multimorbidities and Complex Conditions Using Value Stream Mapping

Background Recognizing the significant impact of wait times for care for individuals with complex chronic conditions, we applied a LEAN methodology, namely – an adaptation of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to meet the needs of people with multiple chronic conditions and to improve wait times without additional resources or funding.   Methods Over an 18-month time period, staff applied a patient-cen...

Elderly face longer bed wait times in hospitals.

Factors affecting surgical wait times for breast reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE To examine factors that affect wait times for women seeking breast reconstruction at a Canadian academic centre. METHODS A retrospective audit of 57 women seeking breast reconstruction over a three-year period was completed. Comparisons of wait times were made considering the surgical pathology, timing of reconstruction (immediate versus delayed), urgency of pathology, method of rec...

Patient Flow Analysis in General Hospitals: How Clinical Disciplines Affect Outpatient Wait Times

Background: Overcrowding is an important problem for outpatient services in healthcare facilities. Patient flow analysis (PFA) is a useful method for identifying inefficiencies in and facilitating patient flow. Objective: PFA was used to estimate patient wait time and determine how different clinical disciplines impact wait times in the studied hospital.<...