More than 500 days have passed since Bruce Erskine was referred for a consultation for hip replacement surgery, but he has yet to speak with a surgeon. Initially referred by his family doctor in January 2025, Erskine was informed that the entire process would typically take around 18 months. Living in Halifax, he has surpassed that timeline without a surgery date.
This prolonged delay has significantly impacted Erskine’s mobility and quality of life. Previously an active 75-year-old, he now struggles to walk without a cane and cannot enjoy activities with his grandson as before, leading to both physical and psychological distress.
A recent report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information revealed that wait times for hip and knee replacement surgeries in Nova Scotia were at their lowest levels on record, with some of the shortest wait times reported in the country last year. However, this report only tracks the period from surgical consultation to the surgery date and does not account for the wait time from referral to meeting with a surgeon.
When considering the combined wait times for consultation and surgery, the total wait for hip and knee replacements in Nova Scotia has increased over the past decade. In 2015, the median wait for a hip replacement was 265 days, rising to 292 days by 2025.
Dr. Jhase Sniderman, an orthopedic surgeon at Dartmouth General Hospital, highlighted the negative impact of extended consultation waits on patients, leading to increased pain and reduced functionality, which can have broader implications on overall health.
Despite improvements in reducing surgical wait times, the median wait for a hip replacement consultation has more than doubled over the last ten years, from 92 to 189 days. This increase has offset the progress made in shortening surgical wait times during the same period.
Cathy Lynn Howley, a director at the Nova Scotia Health perioperative care network, acknowledged the importance of reduced surgery wait times but emphasized the need to address and improve consultation wait times, which she described as excessively long in certain regions.
The growing and aging population in Nova Scotia is believed to have contributed to the prolonged consultation waits, as the surge in patients requiring orthopedic surgeries has potentially led to backlogs in consultations. Efforts are being made to enhance consultation processes, including the implementation of a centralized booking system and the establishment of orthopedic assessment clinics to assist patients during their wait for consultations.
Patients like Monika Lalonde from Falmouth, N.S., have also experienced long waits for hip replacement consultations, resulting in worsening pain and decreased mobility. Lalonde’s activities have been severely restricted, impacting her daily life and overall well-being.
Nova Scotia’s practice of publicly reporting consultation wait times sets it apart from most provinces. The province’s efforts to display estimated consultation waits alongside surgery wait times aim to provide transparency regarding patient experiences. Data from January to March 2026 revealed significant disparities in consultation wait times between Nova Scotia and Ontario for hip and knee replacements.
As Nova Scotians continue to face prolonged consultation waits, efforts are underway to address these challenges and enhance the overall patient experience in the healthcare system.