Initiative for Quality improvement and Epidemiology in Diabetes [1]
In short
In Belgium, individuals with diabetes who need specialised treatment are followed-up in hospital-based centres in the context of a convention. About 100 diabetes centres throughout Belgium are recognised by the INAMI-RIZIV (list of recognised centres is only available in Dutch [2] (link is external) or French [3] (link is external)). Through regular data collections, the IQED project monitors quality of care in these centres and provides individualised feedback, helping the centres to improve their quality of care.
Project description
Since 2001, multidisciplinary diabetes centres can apply for recognition from the INAMI-RIZIV (information only available in Dutch [4] (link is external) or French [5] (link is external)). For continued recognition, centres need to participate in IQED. The project is executed by Sciensano and governed by a group of national experts.
Study design
IQED uses the so-called audit-feedback method to monitor quality of care and support healthcare providers in improving quality of care.
Periodically, recognized centres are invited to participate in the IQED audit. Centres are required to retrospectively provide data on the characteristics, treatment and outcomes of about 10 percent of their adult type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients followed in the context of the convention.
Audits are performed using the Healthdata.be [6] platform, where also the current inclusion criteria and questionnaire items [7] can be consulted.
Results
After each audit, centres receive individualized feedback, allowing them to see where improvement may be needed. In IQED, many of the quality indicators are based on the recommendations of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) guidelines.
Each cycle is closed with the publication of a global report on the findings of that cycle and the evolutions across cycles.
Legal information
The Sectoral Committee of Social Security and Health has authorised the transmission and use of these pseudonymized data (authorisation only available in Dutch (link is external [8]) or French (link is external [9])).
Sciensano and RIZIV/INAMI are responsible for the processing of the data. The processing is based on the grounds of public interest (art. 6.1 (e) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)) and in particular for data concerning health, for reasons of public interest in the areas of public health (art. 9.2 (i), of the GDPR).
Individuals treated in these centres are informed about the data collection through a flyer (Dutch [10] or French [11]) in the waiting room and may opt out.
More information is available in this privacy statement [12].
Group of Experts
The IQED project is supported by a group of experts consiting out of representatives of Sciensano, representatives of the conventioned centers, and representatives of the RIZIV/INAMI.
The current members of the group of experts IQED are:
Laurent Crenier, HUB – Hôpital Erasme, Brussels, Belgium
Christophe De Block, Antwerp University Hospital — UA, Antwerp, Belgium
Philippe Oriot, Mouscron Hospital Centre, Mouscron, Belgium
Jean-Christophe Philips, CHU Liège, Liège, Belgium
Michel Vandenbroucke, AZ St-Maarten, Mechelen, Belgium
Viviane Van Elshocht, RIZIV/INAMI
Frank Nobels, OLV-Aalst, Aalst, Belgium
Chantal Mathieu, University Hospitals Leuven — KUL, Leuven, Belgium
Results
The IQED study generates a large number of data, published in the national reports. To explore these data, an interactive visualisation tools have been developed and can be found here (from 14 November 2024 onwards):
IQEDtool [13]
