BACKGROUND Assessment of current wait times for specialist health services in Canada is a key method that can assist government and health care providers to plan wisely for future health needs. These data are not readily available. A method to capture wait time data at the time of consultation or procedure has been developed, which should be applicable to other specialist groups and also allows...

BACKGROUND Periodically surveying wait times for specialist health services in Canada captures current data and enables comparisons with previous surveys to identify changes over time. METHODS During one week in April 2012, Canadian gastroenterologists were asked to complete a questionnaire (online or by fax) recording demographics, reason for referral, and dates of referral and specialist vi...

OBJECTIVE To develop benchmarks for wait times for obstetrics and gynaecology. METHODS An expert panel reviewed the literature published from 1995 to September 30, 2007, and provided recommendations. EVIDENCE The benchmarks in this document were recommended by the SOGC ad hoc Committee on Wait Times, which includes members with expertise in obstetrics, gynaecology, urogynaecology, and gynae...

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...

In 2009-2010, a "time of surgery" data element was added to CIHI's Discharge Abstract Database enabling a more precise calculation of patient wait times for hip fracture repair, measured in hours rather than days. Using an Ontario sample, we explored this more precise calculation for the first three quarters of 2009-2010 (April to December), and the impact of adding wait times in the emergency ...

Excessive wait times for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies are a major problem in the Canadian healthcare system. To determine how requests for MRI studies are managed, the authors performed a survey of public MRI facilities in Canada. Ninety-six per cent had some method to triage MRI requests. However, only 42% had documented guidelines for prioritization, and none employed quality assu...

Abstract Equal access to voting is a core feature of democratic government. Using data from hundreds thousands smartphone users, we quantify racial disparity in wait times across nationwide sample polling places during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Relative entirely white neighborhoods, residents black neighborhoods waited 29% longer vote and were 74% more likely spend than thirty minute...