Canadian Health Information Management Association Practice Exam

Which report recommended the establishment of wait times in healthcare?

1. Kelowna Accord.

2. Kirby Report.

3. Mazankowski Report.

4. Romanow Report.

The correct answer is: Kirby Report.

The Kirby Report, formally known as the "Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology," is pivotal in the discussion of healthcare wait times. Published in 2002, it specifically highlighted the issue of wait times for medical procedures and recommended a national strategy to establish and monitor these wait times within Canada's healthcare system. The report brought attention to the need for accountability and transparency surrounding access to healthcare services. It suggested that standardized wait time benchmarks should be established across provinces to ensure that patients receive timely access to necessary medical care. This focus on wait times aimed to improve the overall effectiveness of the healthcare system and to enhance patient outcomes by minimizing delays in treatment. In contrast, the other reports mentioned, such as the Kelowna Accord, Mazankowski Report, and Romanow Report, while addressing various aspects of the Canadian healthcare system, did not specifically center on the issue of wait times in the same way as the Kirby Report did. The Romanow Report focused on the sustainability and future of the healthcare system, and the Mazankowski Report consulted on healthcare reform but was not primarily centered on wait times. The Kelowna Accord primarily dealt with First Nations and social issues beyond the direct scope of healthcare wait times.