Heath service utilization by Manitoba children

Objective: To compare physician and hospital utilization rates by children across subregions of Manitoba. Methods: 1998/99 data for physician visits and hospitalizations for children aged 0 to 19 were extracted from the Population Health Research Data Repository. Rates of utilization were compared across 12 regions (RHAs) within Manitoba, and 12 community areas within Winnipeg. Rates were also compared across premature mortality rates (PMR) and area income levels. Results: Substantial regional variation was found for utilization rates. The hospitalization rate for children from the three northern RHAs (highest PMRs) (114/1000) was almost four times the Winnipeg rate (30/1000) and almost double the rate for the rural south RHAs (lowest PMRs) (59/1000). The variation among regions in physician visits ranged from under 2 visits in 2 of the northern RHAs to almost 4 visits in urban areas. However, the low visit rates in rural RHAs are offset somewhat by greater use of nurses. Hospitalizations and physician visits were also related to area income level. Conclusion: Findings are discussed in terms of health care need.