Percentage-within-target-ED - Health Quality Ontario (HQO)

INDICATOR NAME

Name

Percentage of patients who completed their emergency department visit within Ontario's target time

Alternate Name

Percentage of patients who completed their visit to emergency within Ontario's target time

INDICATOR DESCRIPTION

Description

This indicator measures the percentage of patients whose emergency department (ED) visit was completed within Ontario's target time. A higher percentage is better. The ED length of stay (LOS) is calculated as the average time interval between the earlier of triage date/time or registration date/time and the date/time when a patient is admitted to the hospital or discharged, transferred, or leaves the ED (non-admitted patients). Provincial targets have been set for the maximum amount of time patients should spend in the ED, waiting and being treated, before being discharged or admitted to the hospital, based on clinical evidence.

HQO Reporting tool/product

Public reporting

Dimension

Timely

Type

Process

DEFINITION AND SOURCE INFORMATION

Unit of Measurement

Percentage

Calculation Methods

Numerator divided by the denominator times 100

Numerator (short description i.e. not inclusions/exclusions)

Number of patients whose emergency department visits were completed within the provincial target.

Denominator (short description i.e. not inclusions/exclusions)

All patients whose ED visits met the criteria to be included.

Adjustment (risk, age/sex standardization)- generalized

None

Data Source

National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS)

Data provided to HQO by

Cancer Care Ontario (CCO)

Reported Levels of comparability /stratifications (defined)

Acuity Level, Institution, Time

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION

Caveats and Limitations

1. Scheduled visits to the ED are excluded from this analysis. 2. Patients who registered in ED but left without being seen or triaged are not included in the analysis. 3. For non-admitted patients, patients who left without seen or treatment and who left after triage and initiation of treatment are included in the analysis. 4. This indicator can also be calculated with percentiles, such as the 50th or 90th percentile. 5. Many factors can influence the indicator results, including triage level, patient population and hospital resources. 6. Depending on the acuity of the case or hospital procedures, triage may occur before registration or vice versa. Therefore, the earlier of these 2 events is used as the starting point for calculation of this indicator.