NACRS emergency department visits and lengths of stay

February 22, 2024 — The data collected by CIHI’s National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS) provides valuable insights into emergency department (ED) visits and lengths of stay reported by participating provinces and territories in Canada.

NACRS data shows that from April 2022 to March 2023 (the most recent complete year of data), there were more than 15.1 million unscheduled ED visits reported in Canada — up from almost 14.0  million in 2021–2022. The number of reported ED visits has returned to pre-pandemic volumes (almost 15.1 million in 2019–2020). 

Use the data tables to explore the most recent information on ED visits and lengths of stay by participating province and territory.

Key findings

• The number of reported unscheduled ED visits rose to more than 15.1 million in 2022–2023, up from almost 14.0 million in 2021–2022. The volume of visits has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
• While ED visit volumes increased across all age groups, the largest increase was observed in the youngest (0 to 4 years), where volumes increased by 31% — from just over 1.0 million in 2021–2022 to almost 1.4 million in 2022–2023.
• Consistent with previous years, patients admitted to hospital in 2022–2023 had longer ED stays than patients who were discharged home following a less urgent ED visit. For those admitted to hospital, 9 out of 10 ED visits were completed within 49.0 hours; for those who were discharged, it was 7.6 hours.
• For admitted patients, ED stays were longer in 2022–2023 than in 2021–2022, with 9 out of 10 ED visits completed within 49.0 hours versus within 40.7 hours, respectively. 
• In 2022–2023, abdominal and pelvic pain, and pain in the throat and chest continued to be the most frequent main problem diagnoses in EDs. Volumes of ED visits increased for respiratory infections and viral infections, and these were among the top main problem diagnoses in 2022–2023.