How Were Wait Times for Priority Procedures in Canada Impacted during the First Six Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic?

In 2020, health systems across Canada responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by making rapid changes to reduce the risk of exposure for patients and staff and to allocate resources toward the treatment of COVID-19 patients. This included postponing surgical and diagnostic procedures. Data collected by the Canadian Institute for Health Information show that these interventions resulted in longer wait times across all provinces in April-September 2020 for scheduled surgical procedures, such as hip and knee replacements and cataract surgeries.

Hospital Stays for Harm Caused by Substance Use among Youth in Canada.

The rise in harms associated with misuse of substances such as cannabis, alcohol and opioids is a public health issue gaining increasing importance in Canada. Taking a closer look at who is being hospitalized, and for which substances, helps inform efforts to improve access to services for youth. Between 2017 and 2018, hospitalizations for harm caused by substance use accounted for about one in 20 of all hospital stays among youths aged 10-24 years in Canada.

Comparing individual and area-based income measures: impact on analysis of inequality in smoking, obesity, and diabetes rates in Canadians 2003-2013.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to examine (1) the concordance between income measured at the individual and area-based level and (2) the impact of using each measure of income on inequality estimates for three health indicators-the prevalence, respectively, of diabetes, smoking, and obesity.

Methods: Data for the health indicators and individual income among adults came from six cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey (cycles 2003 through 2013). Area-based income was obtained by linking respondents' residential postal codes to neighbourhood income quintiles derived from the 2006 Canadian census.

Towards actionable international comparisons of health system performance: expert revision of the OECD framework and quality indicators.

Objective: To review and update the conceptual framework, indicator content and research priorities of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Health Care Quality Indicators (HCQI) project, after a decade of collaborative work.

Design: A structured assessment was carried out using a modified Delphi approach, followed by a consensus meeting, to assess the suite of HCQI for international comparisons, agree on revisions to the original framework and set priorities for research and development.

Setting: International group of countries participating to OECD projects.