Morris Barer and colleagues present their review of waiting lists for medical services in Canada and report "disturbing chasms" between widely held views and the research evidence.

The authors attribute this gap to confusion over terminology, differences in measures and methods, and a lack of awareness about management approaches. They also contend that frequently offered solutions such as introducing a two-tiered system and allocating additional funding are not supported by evidence. The authors conclude that Canada needs a better infrastructure of information about waiting lists and their management.

In an accompanying editorial, Steven Lewis and colleagues contend that information and management defects are almost always prematurely diagnosed as financial shortages. They conclude that: "The waiting-list 'nonsystem' in Canada is a classic case of forced decision-making in the absence of good management information. There is a surfeit of nonstandardized data and a dearth of usable, policy-oriented information about waiting lists."

Waiting for medical services in Canada: lots of heat, but little light -- M. Barer et al.

Ending waiting-list mismanagement: principles and practice -- S. Lewis et al