Indicator Metadata

Summary View
Detailed View

Name	Health Care Providers Employed in Direct Care per 100,000 Population, by Health Region and Jurisdiction
Short/Other Names	Health Care Provider Density by Province/Territory
Description	Health care providers employed in the profession and working in direct care, per 100,000 population, by type of provider, health region and province/territory
Interpretation	A measure of access to health care providers A low or high ratio may be desirable; interpretations should be evaluated alongside other relevant data (e.g., population need, models of care, mix of health care providers).
HSP Framework Dimension	Health System Inputs and Characteristics: Efficient allocation of resources
Areas of Need	Not applicable
Geographic Coverage	All provinces/territories
Reporting Level/Disaggregation	National, Province/Territory, Region
Indicator Results	https://www.cihi.ca/en/health-workforce

Identifying Information

Name	Health Care Providers Employed in Direct Care per 100,000 Population, by Health Region and Jurisdiction
Short/Other Names	Health Care Provider Density by Province/Territory

Indicator Description and Calculation

Description	Health care providers employed in the profession and working in direct care, per 100,000 population, by type of provider, health region and province/territory
Calculation: Description	Calculated by dividing the number of health care providers working in direct care in each health region or province/territory by population estimates and multiplying by 100,000 (Number of health care providers employed in the profession and working in direct care by health region or province/territory ÷ Population estimate) × 100,000 Unit of Analysis: Service provider per 100,000 population
Calculation: Geographic Assignment	Place of service
Calculation: Type of Measurement	Rate - Rate per 100,000
Calculation: Adjustment Applied	None
Calculation: Method of Adjustment	Not applicable
Denominator	Description: Total population in a Canadian province/territory or in a health region Inclusions: Provincial/territorial or regional population estimates from Statistics Canada
Numerator	Description: Number of health care providers employed in the profession and working in direct care Inclusions: Active registered health care providers employed in the profession and working in direct care. Additional inclusion criteria vary by type of provider. Exclusions: Health care providers not employed in the profession. Health care providers employed in education, research and administration. Inactive registrants or health care providers who did not register in a Canadian province or territory. Additional exclusion criteria vary by type of provider.

Background, Interpretation and Benchmarks

Rationale	Based on World Health Organization (WHO) National Health Workforce Accounts indicator 1-03: Density of Active Health Workers per 1,000 Population by Cadre and at Subnational Level, this indicator provides information on the density and distribution of health workers. It can support the assessment of health services and resources at the provincial/territorial levels.
Interpretation	A measure of access to health care providers A low or high ratio may be desirable; interpretations should be evaluated alongside other relevant data (e.g., population need, models of care, mix of health care providers).
HSP Framework Dimension	Health System Inputs and Characteristics: Efficient allocation of resources
Areas of Need	Not applicable
Targets/Benchmarks	WHO: Health worker density and distribution
References	World Health Organization. National Health Workforce Accounts: A Handbook. 2016. World Health Organization. Global Strategy on Health Resources for Health: Workforce 2030. 2016.

Availability of Data Sources and Results

Data Sources	HWDB
Available Data Years	Type of Year: First Available Year: 2009 Last Available Year: 2018
Geographic Coverage	All provinces/territories
Reporting Level/Disaggregation	National, Province/Territory, Region

Result Updates

Update Frequency	Varies by type of provider
Indicator Results	Web Tool: Health workforce data tables URL: https://www.cihi.ca/en/health-workforce
Updates	Not applicable

Quality Statement

Caveats and Limitations

CIHI uses the unit of analysis "per 100,000 population," which is different from the WHO's "density per 1,000 population." Caution should be used when comparing results across countries.

Statistics reported may differ from those reported by other organizations due to differences in data collection and reporting methodologies.

Issues of under- and/or over-coverage may vary by type of provider.

Trending Issues

Population estimates may change over time.

Vary by type of provider

Comments

Please note that the available data years, geographic coverage, reporting level/disaggregation and update frequency vary by type of provider.

“Available data year” can refer to data year (for nurses) or to reporting year (for occupational therapists, physiotherapists and pharmacists).