Our disappearing hospital beds
CMAJ 1997;156:1784
© 1997 Canadian Medical Association
A Statistics Canada study published in Health Reports this spring, Downsizing Canada's Hospitals, 198687 to 199495, examines statistical trends in public hospitals.
It found that the number of public hospitals in Canada decreased by 14% during the 9-year period, from 1053 to 901. A large part of this decline can be attributed to the conversion of extended care hospitals to residential care facilities and to the transformation of some hospitals to outpatient facilities. In both cases these facilities are no longer counted as hospitals.
Over the 9 years, the number of staffed beds dropped from 6.6 per 1000 people to 4.1:1000. Despite a 35% drop, Quebec (8.1:1000) maintained the highest ratio during all the years studied. Alberta placed second in 198687 with a ratio of 7.4:1000, but major reforms have since slashed the number of beds by 54%. In 199495 the province had the lowest ratio (3.1:1000) in the country.
Over the period studied, the average length of stay in short-term-care units decreased from an average of 9 days to 7 days. The decrease in the total number of inpatient days in all types of hospitals has been accompanied by an increase in the number of outpatient visits; overall Canadian hospitals showed a 39% increase in the ratio of outpatient visits to inpatient days, from 0.64:1 in 198687 to 0.88:1 in 199394.
| Table 1: No. of staffed beds per 1000 population in Canadian hospitals |
| Province | 1986/87 | 1994/95
| % change |
| Newfoundland | 5.9
| 4.7 | -20.3
|
| PEI | 5.9 | 3.8 | -35.6
|
| NS | 6.4 | 4.0 | -37.5
|
| NB | 7.1 | 4.5
| -36.6 |
| Quebec | 8.1 | 5.3 | -34.6
|
| Ontario | 5.4 | 3.4
| -37.0 |
| Manitoba | 5.8 | 4.9
| -15.5 |
| Saskatchewan | 7.0 | 4.6
| -34.3 |
| Alberta | 7.4 | 3.1
| -58.1 |
| BC | 6.4 | 4.2
| -34.4 |
| Canada | 6.6 |
4.1 | -37.9
|
This column was written by Lynda Buske, chief, physician resources information planning, CMA. Readers may send potential research topics to Patrick Sullivan (sullip@cma.ca; 613 731-8610 or 800 663-7336, ext. 2126; fax 613 523-0937).
 |
Send a letter to the editor responding to this article
Envoyez une lettre à la rédaction au sujet de cet article |
Pulse