NEW SURGICAL DATA AVAILABLE

Saskatchewan Health is introducing the latest elements of its surgical care strategy.

Saskatchewan's new web-based Surgical Patient Registry, the first of its kind in Canada, now includes data from seven health regions, including the two largest, Regina Qu'Appelle and Saskatoon.

Health Minister John Nilson says this information will greatly improve the management of surgical access lists, so that patients will be better informed, and physicians and health regions will be better able to co-ordinate access to surgical care, a key priority of The Action Plan for Saskatchewan Health Care.

"This initiative gives us accurate information about our surgical care system, and allows physicians and health regions to base their decisions on comprehensive, current data," Nilson said. "The extensive work we have done on surgical access in Saskatchewan gives us a much better understanding of how to best target the new federal health funding to the areas where it is needed most."

While the Registry data will be a valuable tool for physicians and regions, the public can now get information on regional surgical wait times through the newly updated Saskatchewan Surgical Care Network (SSCN) Web site, www.sasksurgery.ca.

The Web site includes information about the number of people having surgery in Saskatchewan, and details about how patients are assessed by physicians and given priority for surgery.

Nilson encouraged people to use this data in discussing their options with physicians, so that they can make educated decisions about their surgical care.

The SSCN Web site also provides details on the surgical system's performance goals for surgical wait times, known as Target Time Frames for Surgery. These time frames allow the system to monitor and track patients and ensure they receive care within an appropriate time. The Web site will be updated further in the coming months.

"Saskatchewan patients and physicians will now have access to a wealth of information about wait times and regional surgical performance," SSCN Chair Dr. Peter Glynn said. "We are realizing our goal of having everyone working from the same set of up-to-date, factual data – an innovation that will benefit Saskatchewan patients, physicians, and the health system as a whole."

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For More Information, Contact:

Lindy McIntrye Health Regina Phone: (306) 787-8214