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Ontario hospital emergency department wait times shorter: report

Brampton Civic Hospital is shown in Brampton, Ontario on Friday Aug. 8, 2014.
Brampton Civic Hospital is shown in Brampton, Ontario on Friday Aug. 8, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Victor Biro

TORONTO – A report by Ontario’s health quality adviser says most patients at Ontario hospital emergency wards are not having to wait as long to see a doctor.

Health Quality Ontario says there has been a 16 per cent drop in the average amount of time nine out of 10 patients waited in emergency to see a doctor – from 3.6 to 3 hours.

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It also found a 10 per cent drop over the past seven years in the amount of time 90 per cent of patients spent in emergency

READ MORE: Wait times for health care services vary across Canada: report

The report released Tuesday also said the data indicates that urban residents spent longer in emergency and waited longer to see a doctor than people living in rural areas.

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The findings are based on data from the provincial health ministry and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences as well as accounts from patients and caregivers.

The report also said that many patients who needed to be admitted to hospital had to wait a long time in emergency for a bed.

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