Manitoba is set to become the first province in Canada to collect self-declared, race-based patient data in a push for more equitable health care, reports Winnipeg CTV News. The data will begin being collected by Shared Health and other health service delivery organizations on May 11. Patients will be asked about their race, ethnicity and Indigenous identity (REI) during the registration process as they access hospitals. Those who agree will choose from a list of Indigenous identities or others such as black, Filipino, Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern or white. Patients can decline to self-identify, and it will not affect the care they receive.
Previous research has highlighted that people do not receive the same health care quality, with differences that can be demonstrated by race, ethnicity and indigenous identity. The collection of this self-declared, race-based patient data, will allow the measuring of gaps and provide early interventions.
Read more:
- Manitoba to become first province to collect race-based patient data. Winnipeg CTV News. May 3, 2023