title: A methodology for estimating hospital bed need in Manitoba in 2020.
abstract: A team of health researchers of the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy at the University of Manitoba was asked to forecast the number of acute care hospital beds that will be required to meet the needs of residents of the province of Manitoba by the year 2020. Methodological considerations for this request included identification of factors expected to affect bed use in the future, and how to account for these factors. The objective of this paper is to describe these methodological considerations, how decisions were made, and steps taken in our approach to this problem. The actual projections and their implications are the subject of another contribution in this issue of the journal (Finlayson, Stewart, Tate, MacWilliam & Roos, 2005).
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, 770 Bannatyne Avenue, Suite T148, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W3, Canada. tate@ms.umanitoba.ca
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Tate
authors.forename: Leonard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: MacWilliam
authors.forename: Gregory S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Finlayson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008350:Manitoba; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment