The last 10 years have seen a seismic
shift in the way surgeries are done in Canada. Between
1995 and 2006 operations in a day surgery setting shot
up 30%, according to new data from the Canadian Institute
of Health Information. By contrast, inpatient operations
were down 16% during the same period. But the total
number of surgeries performed across the country —
either on an inpatient or outpatient basis — was
up 17%.
The report also found that acute
inpatient hospitalizations were down 13% across the
country. Average length of stay in hospital, however,
held steady overall at 7.2 days. "The observation that
the number of inpatient hospitalizations for surgery
is decreasing while the average length of stay has remained
stable over the past decade would suggest advances in
medical technology leading to more efficient ways of
treating inpatients," the authors conclude.
They also note that factors such
as SARS in Ontario (which resulted in the cancellation
of many elective surgeries) and the population boom
in Alberta likely impacted the national data. A future
study will look at what types of surgeries shifted from
an inpatient to day surgery setting. — Gillian
Woodford
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