Wait Times for Home Care Services
Identifying Attributes
Care Settings
Country
Publishing Organisation
Type of Quality Indicator
IOM Quality Dimension
Domain
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
Risk Adjustments
None
Stratifications
Data Attributes
Type of Data Collection
Data Collection Methods
Provincial and territorial data collection systems.
Frequency of Data Collection
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
Reporting Methods
CIHI website webtools: Your Health System: In Brief (available to public) and Shared Health Priorities webpage.
Reporting Frequency
Reporting Frequency in Days
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
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