“There is no “right” path to advancing health equity. It is not necessary, or always possible, to have all the answers before embarking on this work”.1

Inspired by the voices of BORN’s External Health Equity Advisory Group (HEAG), BORN is working toward systematic collection of race and social determinants of health (SDOH) data in its perinatal registry.

Although BORN already collects limited race and SDOH data, robust data are lacking in the perinatal space. Safe collection, governance, and use of these data are needed to create more equitable healthcare systems by addressing racism and underlying social determinants that impact the provision of care and health outcomes of women, pregnant individuals, children, and families in Ontario.

Collection of race and SDOH data will:

  • empower BORN and our health system partners to better understand and investigate the intersecting attributes of the people receiving (and not receiving) care and champion equity in health outcomes, access, and care;
  • provide insights to policymakers, providers, communities, and non-traditional health system contributors to develop targeted interventions and policies to address social and economic factors contributing to health disparities and tailor approaches to address the unique needs of the diverse population our perinatal health system serves in Ontario;
  • enable monitoring of population health trends over time, identifying emerging issues, and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions, and;
  • provide an opportunity to inform research, more personalized interventions, and technology development, including AI and predictive modelling, that promote more equitable health outcomes and perhaps reduce unintended bias.

BORN will collaborate with various perinatal health system partners and decision makers, as well as those who receive perinatal care in Ontario, to safely collect, analyze, use, and share information about health care and outcomes in a manner that advances health equity by integrating data that reflects individuals’ relevant social determinants of health into registry holdings. This journey has begun, with the aim to have systematic collection of race and additional SDOH data in the BIS in 2027.