Canada

About one in three Canadians needing a new hip or knee are waiting longer than they should, but instead of turning to private clinics, researchers say a more centralized referral system could help fix the backlog.

A study published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) found that organizing referrals and surgeries through a coordinated, team-based approach could help with long wait times for hip and knee replacements.

“Canada performs poorly for access to scheduled surgery … access to care is a weakness in the Canadian health system, this has really been the Achilles heel of the Canadian health system,” said Dr. David Urbich, study author and head of the department of surgery at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.

“But the good news is, there are very good solutions. They’re not difficult. They are not expensive.”

Reducing wait times for hip and knee replacement surgeries could be as simple as reorganizing how patients are referred to surgeons — no need for extra operating rooms, more surgeons or additional funding, the study argued.