Introducing data into the health policy process: developing a report on the efficiency of bed use in Manitoba

The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation (MCHPE) is a university-based centre funded by the provincial government to provide analyses for use in policy development and management of the health care system. At the government's request, the MCHPE undertook an analysis of bed use in the major hospitals in the province. This article reviews the formulation, execution and delivery of the project to illustrate how health services researchers, administrative data and key actors in the health care system can interact in the policy process.