Nurse-workforce-Ontario - Health Quality Ontario (HQO)

INDICATOR NAME

Name

Number of nurses employed in nursing in Ontario per 100,000 people (Retired)

Alternate Name

Number of nurses practising in Ontario per 100,000 people

INDICATOR DESCRIPTION

Description

This indicator measures the number of nurses who reported at least one employment position in nursing in Ontario per 100,000 people. It includes registered nurses, nurse practitioners and registered practical nurses working full-time, part-time and casual hours.

HQO Reporting tool/product

Public reporting

Dimension

Efficient

Type

Structure

DEFINITION AND SOURCE INFORMATION

Unit of Measurement

Number per 100,000 people

Calculation Methods

This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of nurses by the number of people in Ontario, and multiplying it by 100,000 to get the number of nurses per 100,000 people

Numerator (short description i.e. not inclusions/exclusions)

Number of registered nurses, nurse practitioners and registered practical nurses who report to the College of Nurses of Ontario at least one employment position in nursing in Ontario during the membership renewal process for the next practising year

Denominator (short description i.e. not inclusions/exclusions)

Estimated number of people living in Ontario

Adjustment (risk, age/sex standardization)- generalized

None

Data Source

College of Nurses of Ontario Membership Statistics report, Ontario Ministry of Finance population projections, Statistics Canada population estimates

Data provided to HQO by

College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC)

Reported Levels of comparability /stratifications (defined)

Time

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION

Caveats and Limitations

The indicator values calculated using data provided to HQO from CNO and the MOHLTC may differ from the values reported by others or the values calculated by HQO from data provided by CIHI even though the data sources are the same (annual registration forms and population estimates). The differences may be due to differences in the reference population, collection period, exclusions, and editing and processing methodologies. The nursing workforce is described by counting the number of nurses who renewed their membership with the CNO for the next practice year. In other words, this indicator provides a snap-shot of the nursing workforce. Nurses who became new members during the practice year are not included. The measure looks at the number of health care providers per 100,000 population, however it does not account for differences in scope of practice or differences in the health status/needs of the population being served in each region.

Comments Summary

The indicator is described by HQO for three nursing professions in Ontario separately: registered nurses (RNs), nurse practitioners (NPs), and registered practical nurses (RPNs). Across Canada, these regulated nursing professions are referred to as registered nurses excluding NPs (RNs), nurse practitioners (NPs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs), respectively. Retired from Measuring Up