Proportion of Physicians in Rural Areas

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Rural and Remote Care
Country
Canada
Publishing Organisation
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)
Type of Quality Indicator
Structure
IOM Quality Dimension
Equity
Domain
Resources

Defining Attributes

Definition

This indicator measures the proportion of active physicians in rural areas.

Numerator

The number of active physicians in rural areas. Rural status is derived using the postal code associated with the physician's primary mailing address. Based on Statistics Canada's methodology, postal codes outside of census metropolitan areas (CMAs) or census agglomerations (CAs) were coded as rural.

Denominator

The number of total active physicians in rural and urban areas.

Exclusions

Denominator Exclusions: Residents, physicians in the military, and semi-retired and retired physicians Non-registered physicians who requested that their information not be published as of December 31 of the reference year Physicians whose urban/rural status is unknown Numerator Exclusions: Residents, physicians in the military, and semi-retired and retired physicians Non-registered physicians who requested that their information not be published as of December 31 of the reference year.

Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments

None

Stratifications

Data Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Administrative data
Data Collection Methods

Administrative data.

Frequency of Data Collection
Annually
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
365
Reporting Methods

Published online. Reported at National, Province/Territory, and Provider levels.

Reporting Frequency
Annually
Reporting Frequency in Days
365
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Evidence Source

Canadian Institute for Health Information. Proportion of Physicians in Rural Areas. Last Updated October 2023. Accessed March 12, 2024. www.cihi.ca/en/indicators/proportion-of-physicians-in-rural-areas

Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
Yes
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
12 March 2025