Wait Times for Home Care Services

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Care Transitions
Country
Canada
Publishing Organisation
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)
Type of Quality Indicator
Process
IOM Quality Dimension
Timeliness
Domain
Access / Waiting Times

Defining Attributes

Definition

Median number of calendar days that clients waited, from the date that the initial referral was received to the date when the first home care service (either home health or home support services) was received.

Numerator

The median number of calendar days that clients waited for their first home care service. Start time: The date that the initial referral is received by the coordinating organisation (For clients in hospital, the start time will be the date they are discharged from hospital). Stop time: The date when the first service is received (i.e., first home care event).

Denominator

This is a continuous variable measure. The target population is clients waiting to begin home care services (inferred).

Exclusions

Referrals for phone and email communications; Home care services primarily funded by the government and arranged by the client; care events for the sole purpose of conducting an assessment, arranging a service visit or checking in with the client.

Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments

None

Stratifications

Data Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Administrative data
Data Collection Methods

Provincial and territorial data collection systems.

Frequency of Data Collection
Annually
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
365
Reporting Methods

CIHI website webtools: Your Health System: In Brief (available to public) and Shared Health Priorities webpage.

Reporting Frequency
Annually
Reporting Frequency in Days
365
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Evidence Source

Canadian Institute for Health Information. Wait Times for Home Care Services. Accessed August 29, 2023. www.cihi.ca/en/indicators/wait-times-for-home-care-services www.cihi.ca/en/shared-health-priorities

Technical Specifications
Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
12 March 2025