All hospitals in Canada must assign their priority levels to patients based on the five-level Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) developed by the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, from Level 1 – Resuscitation down to Level 5 – Non-urgent.
The higher the percentage of patients treated within the target time, the better.
Metrics reported in Ontario for how long patients spent in the emergency department:
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Patients’ average wait time to first assessment by a doctor, nurse practitioner or dentist in the emergency department.
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Average length of stay in the emergency department for low-urgency patients who were not admitted to hospital.
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Percentage of low-urgency patients not admitted to hospital who were seen within the target time for the 90th percentile (the target time within which 90% of patients were seen). A higher percentage is better.
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Average length of stay for high-urgency patients who were not admitted to hospital.
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Percentage of high-urgency patients not admitted to hospital who were seen within the target time for the 90th percentile (the target time within which 90% of patients were seen). A higher percentage is better.
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Average length of stay in the emergency department for patients who were admitted to the hospital.
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Percentage of patients admitted to hospital who were seen within the target time for the 90th percentile (the target time within which 90% of patients were seen). A higher percentage is better.
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The volume (number) of patients treated in the emergency department.
| What is measured
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How it is measured
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Clinical description
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Ontario's target time
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| Wait time to first assessment by a doctor, nurse practitioner or dentist in the emergency department for all patients
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Average time waited (in hours) for all patients during the month reported
Volume (number of patients) treated during the month reported |
How long patients waited from checking in at triage or registration, to their first assessment by a doctor, nurse practitioner or dentist in the emergency department, for all CTAS levels |
Not applicable |
| Length of stay in the emergency department for low-urgency patients not admitted to hospital
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Average time spent (in hours) for low-urgency patients not admitted to hospital, during the month reported
Percentage of patients who finished their visit to emergency within Ontario's target time
Volume (number of patients) treated during the month reported |
How long low-urgency patients (e.g., sore throat or vomiting), as assessed by the emergency department, spent in emergency and were not admitted to hospital (sent home or to another facility such as long-term care) |
4 hours (90th percentile) – 90% of patients spent 4 hours or less in emergency before being sent home or to another facility |
| Length of stay in the emergency department for high-urgency patients not admitted to hospital
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Average time spent (in hours) for high-urgency patients not admitted to hospital, during the month reported
Percentage of patients who finished their emergency visit within Ontario's target time
Volume (number of patients) treated during the month reported |
How long high-urgency patients (e.g., severe allergic reaction or overdose), as assessed by the emergency department, spent in emergency before being sent home or to another facility |
8 hours (90th percentile) – 90% of patients spent 8 hours or less in emergency before being sent home or to another facility |
| Length of stay in the emergency department for all patients admitted to hospital
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Average time spent (in hours) for all patients admitted to hospital, during the month reported
Percentage of patients admitted to hospital from the emergency department within Ontario's target time
Volume (number of patients) treated during the month reported |
How long patients spent in the emergency department and were then admitted to hospital (including any time patients may have waited in the emergency department for a bed to be available in the hospital) |
8 hours (90th percentile) – 90% of patients spent 8 hours or less in emergency before they moved into a hospital bed |
Data source for time spent in emergency departments
The data comes from the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System, Canadian Institute for Health Information.
Parts of this material are based on data and information compiled and provided by the Canadian Institute for Health Information. However, the analyses, conclusions, opinions and statements expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Canadian Institute for Health Information.