Published On: December 7, 2018
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) has publicly released 2017-18 indicators from the Your Health System (YHS) web tool and Health Indicators e-Publication, which includes health system data on hospitals, long-term care facilities, and the health of Canadians across the country. Results indicate that St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH) is meeting or exceeding regional and provincial averages in 10 of the 11 indicators, including surgical and obstetric patients readmitted to hospital, hip fracture surgery within 48 hours, and avoidable deaths. Impressively, STEGH continues to lead the province in emergency wait times – an accolade that the hospital has been able to sustain since 2011.
The results come as no surprise to hospital leaders, who credit the dedication of front-line staff to continuous quality improvement and patient safety. “We are extremely proud of our entire team who are fully committed to improving the patient experience,” says Robert Biron, President and CEO. According to the data publicly released today, the total time spent in the emergency department for admitted patients is 7.2 hours at STEGH, compared to 22.7 hours for the South West region, and 32.8 hours for the province.
The emergency department at STEGH is housed in the new north building, which celebrated its grand opening earlier this year. The facility offers a streamlined patient triage system, and specialized zones where less urgent patients can be served. With the opening of the new emergency department, STEGH has experienced an increase in patient volumes year-over-year of approximately eight percent; yet the hospital continues to maintain its position of having some of the lowest wait times in Ontario.