January, 2009 – In 2007-2008, there were approximately 2.1 million admissions to Canadian acute care hospitals (excluding Quebec), according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). This represents a decline of 0.4% since the previous year and a reduction of nearly 16% since 1995�1996. After adjusting for sex, age and population growth, the hospitalization rate declined by 2.1% since the previous year and 30.0% since 1995�1996. A decrease in adjusted hospitalization rates was observed for every province and territory, with the exception of Nunavut and the Yukon.
Average lengths of hospital stay varied by province and territory. In 2007�2008, Manitoba and Nova Scotia reported the highest age-adjusted average length of stay (8.9 and 8.6 days, respectively), while Ontario and Saskatchewan reported the lowest age-adjusted average length of stay (6.1 and 6.0 days, respectively).
The data also show that for emergency departments (EDs) in Ontario and participating EDs in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and the Yukon, children younger than five accounted for the highest proportion of emergency department visits, with nearly 485,000 visits. For all age groups, reasons for ED visits varied, with trauma (including unintentional falls and car accidents) accounting for the largest proportion (23.6%).
These analyses were performed using the most current data (2007�2008) from the Discharge Abstract Database and the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System database.
These statistics are available on CIHI�s website (under Quick Stats).
About CIHI
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) collects and analyzes information on health and health care in Canada and makes it publicly available. Canada�s federal, provincial and territorial governments created CIHI as a not-for-profit, independent organization dedicated to forging a common approach to Canadian health information. CIHI�s goal: to provide timely, accurate and comparable information. CIHI�s data and reports inform health policies, support the effective delivery of health services and raise awareness among Canadians of the factors that contribute to good health. www.cihi.ca
