Emergency Department Visits by Home Care Clients in Last 30 Days of Life

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Home Care
Country
Canada
Publishing Organisation
Health Quality Ontario Home Care Reporting System (HCRS)
Type of Quality Indicator
Outcome
IOM Quality Dimension
Effectiveness
Domain
Palliative Care

Defining Attributes

Definition

Percentage of publicly funded home care clients, of all ages, who had an unplanned visit to the emergency department in the last 30 days of life. A lower percentage of clients is better. Unplanned visits in the last month of life could indicate they did not receive the care they needed in the community.

Numerator

The number of decedents specified in the denominator who had at least one unplanned emergency department visit within 30 days before death.

Denominator

The number of home care clients who died in the given fiscal year.

Exclusions

Not all emergency department visits are avoidable and do not always represent poor quality care.

Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments

None

Stratifications

Data Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Administrative data
Data Collection Methods

Home Care Database (HCD), National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS), PCCF+ version 5k6A, Registered Persons Database (RPDB).

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

Public reporting.

Reporting Frequency
Reporting Frequency in Days
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Evidence Source

Health Quality Ontario. Measuring Up 2018: A yearly report on how Ontario's health system is performing, 2018.

Technical Specifications

Indicator library of Ontario Health website not accessible (transition from health quality ontario website)

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