2022-12-22-菲沙研究所-等待轮到你-2022年加拿大医疗保健等待时间报告（英）_86页_1mb

Summary of "Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada, 2022 Report"

Key Findings

• Overall Wait Times: The median total wait for medically necessary, elective treatment across Canada increased to 27.4 weeks (up 1.8 weeks from 2021), the longest recorded in the survey's 31-year history.
  • Wait time is 195% longer than in 1993 (9.3 weeks).
  • Province-by-Province Variation:
    • Shortest waits: Ontario (20.3 weeks), British Columbia (25.8 weeks), Quebec (29.4 weeks).
    • Longest waits: Prince Edward Island (64.7 weeks), Nova Scotia (58.2 weeks), New Brunswick (43.3 weeks).
• Wait Time Segments:
  • From GP to Specialist Consultation: Aged from 11.1 to 12.6 weeks (242% longer since 1993).
  • From Specialist to Treatment: Increased from 14.5 to 14.8 weeks (164% longer since 1993).
• Variation by Specialty:
  • Shortest waits for radiation therapy (3.9 weeks) and medical oncology (4.4 weeks).
  • Longest waits for neurosurgery (58.9 weeks), orthopaedic surgery (48.4 weeks), and plastic surgery (58.1 weeks).
• Clinical vs. Actual Wait Times: Actual waiting times exceed reasonable clinical thresholds in 83% of specialty comparisons. Excess wait times were most pronounced in Quebec (4.3 weeks to 14.3 weeks) and British Columbia ($high absolute difference).

Number of Patients Waiting

• An estimated 1.2 million Canadians (3.2% of the population) were waiting for 1.2 million procedures in 2022.
  • Highest proportion in Newfoundland & Labrador (6.05%); lowest in Ontario (2.44%).
• Provincial strategies and high healthcare spending failed to substantially reduce wait times.

Caveats

• Survey Limitations: COVID-19-related disruptions may have skewed results. Response rate (7.1%) is low, and data collection periods were extended, impacting confidence in some findings.
• Data Comparability:
  • Differences in provincial data definitions make cross-province comparisons difficult.
  • While the Institute measures full wait chains (GP referral to treatment), some provincial wait-time data begin after specialist referrals and may undercount total delays.
• Economic & Health Costs: Extended waits cause lost productivity ($14.8 billion estimated cumulative economic losses in 2007 for certain treatments) and adverse health outcomes (e.g., increased pain, reduced treatment reversibility).

Conclusion

Canadians wait too long for necessary care despite decades of policy efforts. Delays strain individual economic resources and health outcomes, highlighting an urgent need for systemic reforms.