This paper describes the nursing home component of the population-based health information system developed in Manitoba, and four years (1989/90 to 1992/93) of data produced by this information system. The study presents regional comparisons of nursing home bed ratios, admissions per 1,000 elderly, days of care per capita, mean expected length of stay for new admissions and median length of waiting time prior to admission. Selected hospital indicators for long-stay patients are also presented. The study indicates that a population-based information system is a useful tool for managing the nursing home sector by highlighting the degree to which a province achieves distributional equity and equality of access to nursing home beds.
