Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) is a public,

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

research unit in the Department of Community Health Sciences within the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,60 ...

). MCHP provides and uses population-based administrative data to inform

health policy Health policy can be defined as the "decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific healthcare goals within a society".World Health Organization''Health Policy'' accessed 22 March 2011(Web archive)/ref> According to the ...

social policy Social policy is a plan or action of government or institutional agencies which aim to improve or reform society. Some professionals and universities consider social policy a subset of public policy, while other practitioners characterize soci ...

and health and social service delivery provincially, nationally and internationally. MCHP also creates population-based research on health and the

social determinants of health The social determinants of health (SDOH) are the economic and social conditions that influence individual and group differences in health status. They are the health promoting factors found in one's living and working conditions (such as the d ...

History of MCHP

The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) was founded in 1991 by Drs. Noralou Roos and Leslie Roos to study

population health Population health has been defined as "the health outcomes of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group". It is an approach to health that aims to improve the health of an entire human population. It ha ...

and health care services evaluation in

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. MCHP developed and maintains a population-based data repository on behalf of the

Government of Manitoba The powers and structure of the provincial Government of Manitoba (french: Gouvernement du Manitoba) are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. In modern Canadian use, the term "government" referred broadly to the cabinet of the day (formally ...

for use by local, national and international research communities. The Manitoba Population Research Data Repository (Repository) contains data on the health, social and economic status of Manitobans, and is used to determine provisions of

health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

and social treatment and prevention services. The Centre’s work is based in Manitoba, but research has also been applied at the national and international levels. Before the creation of MCHP, founders Drs. Noralou Roos and Leslie Roos conducted numerous health services and population health studies between 1973 and 1990 using data from the Manitoba Health Services Commission, now

Manitoba Health Manitoba Health (formerly Health, and Seniors Care, MHSC; also known as Manitoba Health) is the department of the Government of Manitoba that is responsible for leading the development of policy and publicly-administered health system planning i ...

. This research broke ground in how data was linked between health services and population health research. Dr. Noralou Roos held a National Health Research Scientist award for 25 years and was awarded a

Canada Research Chair Canada Research Chair (CRC) is a title given to certain Canadian university research professors by the Canada Research Chairs Program. Program goals The Canada Research Chair program was established in 2000 as a part of the Government of Canada ...

in Population Health from 2001-2007 as a result of this research. In 2021, Dr. Noralou Roos was inducted into the

Canadian Medical Hall of Fame __NOTOC__ The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is a Canadian charitable organization, founded in 1994, that honours Canadians who have contributed to the understanding of disease and improving the health of people. It has an exhibit hall in London, O ...

for her contribution to population health research by using linked administrative data to analyze the

. Research by both Drs. Noralou Roos and Leslie Roos created recognition among peers, government and health care service providers of the benefits of population health research in Manitoba. MCHP was created as a result of these efforts.

Research

The population-based data repository contains a large scope of data. The primary research focus has been on Manitobans’ health status and the social determinants of health, however, the acquisition of social data into the Repository has expanded the research at MCHP to the well-being of Manitoban children, Métis and First Nations and the provision of services for these populations. Some examples of research topics arising from the repository include: * acute and

chronic diseases A chronic condition is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term ''chronic'' is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three mo ...

; * inequities of health and

healthcare Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

use; * use of

nursing homes A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...

primary care Primary care is the day-to-day healthcare given by a health care provider. Typically this provider acts as the first contact and principal point of continuing care for patients within a healthcare system, and coordinates other specialist care t ...

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

care,

emergency departments An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pati ...

, urgent and critical care; * use of

prescription drugs A prescription drug (also prescription medication or prescription medicine) is a pharmaceutical drug that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs can be obtained without a prescription. The rea ...

and

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

; * use of family services, income assistance, and

social housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...

; * cost of hospital care and

smoking Smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke is typically breathed in to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, which have bee ...

; * Paramedic services data and health system contact after

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...

has been consumed; * educational outcomes; and * evaluation of screening and prevention programs. Manitoba Health commissions research projects each year which are released publicly. Other research projects are led by research scientists and graduate students both within MCHP, as well as researchers outside of the institute.

Manitoba Population Research Data Repository

MCHP houses the Manitoba Population Research Data Repository, a large collection of person-level data about Manitoba residents that has been de-identified (anonymized) and can be linked.http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/health_sciences/medicine/units/community_health_sciences/departmental_units/mchp/media/Healthcare_Policy_vol6_MCHP.pdf As of February 2022, there are 92 active data files that are updated annually, and a large number of additional data files that are brought in on a project-basis.http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/health_sciences/medicine/units/chs/departmental_units/mchp/media/Annual_Report_2015_16.pdf The Repository can be accessed by authorized researchers, graduate students and data analysts at MCHP and at nine remote access sites located at the University of Manitoba (Bannatyne campus) and

Winnipeg Regional Health Authority The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA; french: Office régional de la santé de Winnipeg, ORSW) is the governing body for healthcare regulation for the City of Winnipeg, the northern community of Churchill, and the Rural Municipalities of E ...

facilities. Most of these data are obtained from administrative data that are collected by Manitoba Health to help administer the universal healthcare system in Manitoba. Data in the Repository provides information relating to health and health services use (e.g., diagnoses, prescriptions, emergency department visits), social services (e.g., income assistance, social housing, involvement with the justice system), education (e.g., Early Development Index, high school graduation) and surveys (e.g., Canadian Community Health Survey). MCHP also maintains a public documentation library which contains data descriptions and a concept dictionary. The purpose of the library is to provide current information about the data files within the Manitoba Population Research Data Repository, and methods for using the data in population-based research. Data descriptions provide information about the data file, relationships between data sets, data quality reports, and data dictionary with descriptive and statistical details about all data elements. The concept dictionary outlines methods developed at MCHP for analyzing data in the repository, including project-specific approaches, suggested readings and references.

Privacy, confidentiality and security

Users of data in the Repository receive mandatory training about the privacy, confidentiality and security practices at MCHP to protect the privacy of service providers (e.g.,

doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

) and users (e.g.,

patients A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health c ...

). All data in the Repository are void of information that can be used to identify individuals. Data are protected by a high level of physical and virtual security at access locations.

The Team

MCHP staffs approximately 60 personnel including researchers, data managers, research managers, data analysts, research coordinators, research support, information technologists, knowledge mobilization specialists, finance officers, graduate students and research assistants.

Collaborators

MCHP collaborates with government departments and agencies to maintain and expand the Repository through data sharing agreements. Stakeholders that represent relevant government departments, government agencies, and service providers also participate as co-investigators or advisory group members.

References

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External links

Manitoba Centre for Health PolicyPersonal Health Information Act (PHIA)
Organizations established in 1991 Organizations based in Winnipeg Medical and health organizations based in Manitoba 1991 establishments in Manitoba