This posting contains:

>> Use of hospital emergency rooms, 2003
>> Second-hand smoke: One-third of non-smokers regularly exposed
>> "Shorter hospital stays for breast cancer"
>> "Dental consultations" shows increases in the percentage of people who
   consult dentists
>> "Vision problems among seniors"
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Subject: The Daily for: 2004-10-19

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**      What's in today's DAILY     **

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  http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041019/d041019.pdf

Internet site:
  http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/041019/td041019.htm

MAJOR RELEASES

    Use of hospital emergency rooms, 2003

        Some 3.3 million people, or one out of every eight Canadians
        aged 15 and older, reported that their most recent contact
        with the health care system had been in a hospital emergency
        room in 2003, according to a new study.


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Use of hospital emergency rooms 2003


   Some 3.3 million people, or one out of every eight Canadians aged 15 or
older, had their most recent contact with a health professional, or
treatment for an injury, in a hospital emergency room in 2003, according
to a new study.

   Estimates from the Canadian Community Health Survey indicate that men
were slightly more likely than women to have used emergency room (ER)
services.

   Among both sexes, the most likely to do so were aged 15 to 24.
About 20% of men and 18% of women in this age range received treatment for
a serious activity-limiting injury, or contacted a health professional, in
an ER.

   At older ages, ER use for both sexes declined, falling to 11% among
seniors.

   Household income was a factor in ER use. About 13% of people in the
highest income group had received their most recent treatment in an ER,
compared with 18% of people in the lowest income group.


Heavy users of medical care


   This study supports results of other research showing that people who
frequent emergency rooms for treatment are heavy users of other medical
services.

   People who reported having a "regular" doctor were just as likely to
report ER use as those who said they did not have a regular physician.
However, 21% of those who had consulted a doctor more than five times
during the year before the survey reported using an ER, almost double the
proportion (12%) for those who went to the doctor less frequently.

   This may reflect their need for ongoing care related to the health
problem or injury that took them to the ER.

   The survey also asked ER users if they were satisfied with their care.
About three-quarters said they had received excellent or good care.
Another 16% felt their care was fair, and 11% said it was poor.

   However, 20% of ER users said that they were "somewhat" or "very
dissatisfied" with the way services were provided.

   Among the provinces and territories, there were striking differences in
satisfaction with the provision of ER services. About 24% of Ontario
residents reported dissatisfaction. By contrast, 11% of ER users in Yukon
were dissatisfied.

   For more information on this article, contact Gisèle Carrière
(604-666-5907; [log in to unmask]), Health Statistics Division.


Second-hand smoke: One-third of non-smokers regularly exposed


   One-third of Canadians who are non-smokers say they are regularly
exposed to second-hand smoke, according to a new study.

   In 2003, 33% of non-smokers reported that in the previous month they
had been exposed to second-hand smoke on most days in at least one of four
locations: in public, at work, at home or in a private vehicle.

   The study, which uses data from the Canadian Community Health Survey,
shows that people in their late teens are most at risk of exposure to
second-hand smoke.

   Overall, non-smokers were most commonly exposed to second-hand smoke in
public places. But children were most at risk of exposure to smoking at
home. Among 12-year-olds, 24% were regularly sujected to second-hand smoke
in their homes and 16% in public places.

   Regardless of the setting, men were more likely than women to have been
exposed to second-hand smoke. About 23% of male non-smokers reported
having been exposed to second-hand smoke in public places, compared
with 17% of their female counterparts.

   Rates of exposure varied among the provinces and territories. In 2003,
exposure rates in Ontario and British Columbia either matched or were
significantly below the national levels in all four locations. By
contrast, except in public places, rates in Quebec were significantly
above the national level.

   For more information on this article, contact Claudio E. Pérez
(613-951-1733; [log in to unmask]), Health Statistics Division.


Other articles


   This edition of Health Reports contains three other articles. "Shorter
hospital stays for breast cancer" examines trends in and factors
influencing the length of stay for female breast cancer patients who were
hospitalized between 1981 and 2000. Since the early 1980s, their average
length of stay declined from 15.1 days to 4.5 days. Declines occurred
regardless of age group, stage of cancer, procedure and comorbid
conditions.

   For more information on this article, contact Aggie Adamczyk
(613-941-8189; [log in to unmask]), Public Health Agency of
Canada.

   "Dental consultations" shows increases in the percentage of people who
consult dentists. In 2003, 63% of those aged 15 or older had visited their
dentist in the previous year, up from an estimated 47% in 1978/79.

   For more information on this article, contact Wayne J. Millar
(613-951-1631; [log in to unmask]), Health Statistics Division.

   Seniors make up just 14% of the population aged 12 and older, yet
according to "Vision problems among seniors," they accounted for 23% of
all people with vision problems, and nearly 20% of all consultations with
eye doctors in 2003.

   For more information on this article, contact Wayne J. Millar
(613-951-1631; [log in to unmask]), Health Statistics Division.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3226.

   Complete articles appear in the October 2004 issue of Health Reports,
Vol. 16, No. 1 (82-003-XIE, $17/$48; 82-003-XPE, $22/$63), which is now
available. See How to order products.

   For more information about Health Reports, contact Anik Lacroix
(613-951-1807; [log in to unmask]), Health Statistics Division.

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