The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) released the 2008 edition of Health Indicators, a collection of data measuring health status, non-medical determinants of health, system performance and community and health system characteristics.

Specific findings for the Central West LHIN (which includes Brampton and surrounding area) reveal that seniors in the region who have suffered from a hip fracture have shorter waits on average for surgery to repair their injury.

Close to 80 per cent of hip fracture patients 65 years of age or older received surgery on the same day or the day after sustaining their injury.

The report suggests this number is significantly higher than the provincial average of 64 per cent and the Canadian average of 63 per cent.

Also, among patients admitted to hospital for a new stroke, 14.8 per cent died in-hospital within 30 days.

This is significantly lower than the national average of 18.2 per cent, according to the report.

CIHI provides regional data on key health issues such as rates of physicians per 100,000 population, 30-day in-hospital mortality rates for heart attack patients, wait times for hip fracture surgeries and c-section rates.

This type of analyses helps interpret data by exploring the importance of indicators as it relates to chronic disease management and primary health care.

Information is complied from a variety of sources and based on the most recent data available.

The information is provided for Canada's largest health regions, as well as provinces and territories.

The full Health Indicators 2008 report is available online at http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=AR_152_E.