This indicator measures the median number of days patients spend in an inpatient acute care hospital bed when they don’t need acute care before they are discharged to home care.
A low number is desirable for this indicator. It is also important to examine the number and percentage of cases with and without extended stays to support the interpretation of the indicator results.
Data availability:
to (fiscal years)
Geographic coverage
All provinces/territories except Quebec
Reporting level
National, Province/Territory, Region
Calculation
Median (50th percentile) length of time, in days, a hospital stay is extended until home care services or supports are ready.
Specifically, the indicator measures the median number of days patients spend in an inpatient acute care hospital bed when they don’t need acute care (also known as alternate level of care, or ALC) before they are discharged to home care.
Unit of analysis: Hospital discharge
Denominator
Not applicable
Numerator
Median length of time, in days, that patients spend in hospital as ALC before they are discharged to home care
Comments
This indicator belongs to the Shared Health Priorities portfolio measuring access to mental health and substance use services and to home and community care.
More information on this indicator is available in the 2019 companion report (PDF).