Table 1 Description of databases used in study

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

CIC includes demographic information about individuals’ at their entry into Ontario as permanent residents from 1985 to 2010. It excludes temporary residents (e.g. students, foreign workers and refugee claimants, those immigrants who landed after 2010, those who declared to move to another province but instead moved to Ontario, and those who could not be probabilistically linked too other databases.

Ontario Cancer Registry (OCR)

OCR captures cancer incidence and mortality information of Ontario residents.

Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP)

The OBSP is a program of Cancer Care Ontario that provides breast cancer screening for women aged 50–74 years. OBSP database is an Integrated Client Management System database that contains administrative, clinical and demographic data for each client screened in the OBSP.

Registered Persons Database (RPDB)

Includes residential and demographic information of all Ontario’s residents who are eligible for health care coverage. The eligibility includes being Canadian Citizens, landed immigrants or refugees; their primary and permanent residence is in Ontario; and physically reside in Ontario in any 12-month period for a minimum of least 153 days. For those born outside Ontario the health care coverage starts 3 months after their residency begins.

Ontario Physicians’ Claims Database – OHIP claims

Includes billing and diagnostic information submitted by approximately 95 % of Ontario’s physicians.

ICES Physician Database (IPDB)

Comprises information from the Ontario.

Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) about the health care providers including: demographics (training, year of graduation), specialization, and workload (type of work, place of work, location, payment plan, FTEs).

Canadian Institute for Health Information Discharge Abstract Database (CIHI-DAD)

Includes acute in-patient hospital discharge data (i.e. demographic, administrative and clinical information).

The Client Agency Program Enrolment (CAPE) tables

This is a repository of the association of a registered person with a specific physician at a specific agency in a formally recognized program, including primary care Patient Enrolment Models.

OHIP Corporate Provider Database (CPDB)

This is a provider registry which includes providers’ demographics and their organizations’ characteristics. It also includes providers’ credentials from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).

2006 Canadian Census

The census provides demographic and statistical data for all people living in Canada.