Emergency Department Wait Time for Physician Initial Assessment

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Hospital Care
Country
Canada
Publishing Organisation
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)
Type of Quality Indicator
Process
IOM Quality Dimension
Timeliness
Domain
Wait Times and System Planning / Access

Defining Attributes

Definition

The time interval between the earlier of Triage Date/Time or Registration Date/Time and Date/Time of Physician Initial Assessment in the Emergency Department (ED).

Numerator

Number of hours within which patients stay in the ED until they are initially assessed by a physician. Reported as the 50th and 90th percentiles (maximum length of stay for 50% and 90% of patients).

Denominator

This indicator is reported as a maximum length of time for a proportion of all emergency visits.

Exclusions

Scheduled emergency visits, unscheduled emergency visits with Visit Disposition = 61 (leave post-registration) and 63 (left after triage), both registration and triage date/time are unknown, or physician assessment date/time is unknown.

Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments

None

Stratifications

By peer group and reporting level: National, Province/Territory, Region, Facility, Corporation.

Collection and Reporting Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Electronic/paper chart records
Data Collection Methods

National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS)

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

Online tool: Your Health System

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

Source and Reference Attributes

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)
Yes
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
Yes
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
02 December 2025