Measuring Health Equity: Demographic Data Collection and Use in Toronto Central LHIN Hospitals and Community Health Centres
Learn about our journey collecting and using demographic data in health care
DownloadDemographic Data Collection in Health Care
About this site
The Measuring Health Equity website was developed by Sinai Health System with support from the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network [Toronto Central LHIN] and is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to demographic data collection in health-care settings. The goal of this website is to provide practical advice, tools, and resources on how to plan, implement, and use patient and client demographic data in health-care settings.
The website provides specialized insight into health data collection in the Toronto region and is an excellent model for demographic data collection in health-care settings beyond the Canadian context.
Who we are
Sinai Health System is rooted in Mount Sinai Hospital’s original legacy to welcome practitioners and patients who were excluded from other medical facilities. That legacy continues today with the Hospital’s commitment to health equity and to providing exceptional care that is accessible to all.
As one of Ontario’s Local Health Integration Networks, the Toronto Central LHIN is a regional health authority mandated with planning, integrating, and distributing funding for all public health services within its designated geographic region (Toronto Central). The Toronto Central LHIN is one of 14 LHINs across the province of Ontario. Learn more about Toronto Central LHIN.
Patient Demographic Data Collection in Toronto
Standardized patient level demographic data collection started in 2013 in downtown Toronto Hospitals following the ‘Measuring Health Equity in Toronto Central LHIN’ mandate. This Toronto Central LHIN mandate outlined a set of standardized demographic questions focused on 8 demographic variables: spoken language, Canadian-born, ethnicity/race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, income, # of people income support. Furthermore, this mandate sought to introduce a standardized data collection effort that would secure access to patient demographic data and promote system-level approach to health equity. Read more about this initiative.
Community Health Centres have a long history of collecting patient and client-level demographic data and by joining the Measuring Health Equity in Toronto Central LHIN mandate in 2014, they have adopted the standardized set of 8 demographic questions. Download the Measuring Health Equity in Toronto Central LHIN CHCs Pilot Project Report.
Introductory Video
Video introducing the “Measuring Health Equity in Toronto Central LHIN Hospitals and Community Health Centres” Project