As community services replace institutional beds, clients must be ensured ready access to nursing home care when truly required. This study explores predictors of waiting time for nursing home admission in a typical voluntary single-entry system in Saskatchewan. The study examined a district-wide cohort of 777 clients awaiting a first nursing home admission over two years in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Median waiting time was 107 days. In multivariate time-to-event analysis, independently assessed priority status predicted a three times greater rate of admission. Living alone, living in seniors housing attached to a nursing home, and being ambulatory only with assistance also shortened waiting time. Co-operation problems increased waiting time. The study shows that in a voluntary single-entry system, admission is not solely by priority status.
