As Ontario embarks on restructuring its health care system and realigning resources to meet population-based needs, health care providers and planning agencies need to link epidemiological data (a community's socioeconomic, demographics and health status) and assess its implications on hospital utilization trends. A fundamental challenge for hospitals and other providers is to “know their communities” along these lines.
This article summarizes the results of a multidimensional review of a section of a large urban community and integrates it with utilization of acute inpatient beds. General observations are offered for policy makers and hospital management.
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