BACKGROUND Longer times from diagnosis to breast cancer treatment are associated with poorer prognosis. This study examined factors associated with wait times by phase in the breast cancer treatment pathway. METHODS There were 1760 women eligible for the study, aged 50-69 diagnosed in Ontario with invasive breast cancer from 1995-2003. Multivariate logistic regression examined factors associa...

Cardiovascular nuclear medicine uses agents labelled with radioisotopes that can be imaged with cameras (single-photon emission tomography [SPECT] or positron emission tomography [PET]) capable of detecting gamma photons to show physiological parameters such as myocardial perfusion, myocardial viability or ventricular function. There is a growing body of literature providing guidelines for the ...

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...

OBJECTIVES Our objective was to assess patients' understanding of emergency department (ED) wait times and why patients may leave the waiting room before seeing a provider. METHODS Survey of patients in the ED waiting room of an urban tertiary care military hospital where civilian and military patients are treated. RESULTS A total of 508/517 surveys (98%) were completed. Age ranges were 18 ...