Orthopaedic Wait Times In Canada
There are two “wait lists” in Orthopaedics.
1. Wait Time to see a Orthopaedic Surgeon:
The first “wait time” is the length of time between when a surgeon receives a referral letter from a physician to the date when the patient is physically seen for the first time by a surgeon.
Only after a surgeon examines a patient face-to-face can they determine if surgery is indicated.
The length of time before a patient may see a surgeon varies based on the volume of referrals they receive as well as accessing operating room time to perform surgeries they have already booked.
If a patient is offered surgery, they will go on to the second “wait list”.
2. Wait Time to Undergo Surgery:
The second “wait time” is the length of time between the date a patient signs documents to proceed with surgery to the date when the patient actually undergoes surgery.
This data is collected and reported by provincial health organizations and is available online by each provincial health authority (see links below).
