Evaluating the quality of care provided to diabetes patients needing intensive treatment
In Belgium, diabetes patients who need specialised treatments benefit from the so-called “diabetes convention”, which consists in a close monitoring in hospital-based centres. Our team organises studies to evaluate the quality of care provided to patients, and helps the centres to improve it. To that end, we ask the centres to periodically provide us with data on the characteristics, treatments and health outcomes of their patients. Once the data have been processed, the centres receive an individualised feedback and can compare their respective quality levels.
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Our team organises the “Initiative for Quality improvement and Epidemiology in Diabetes” (IQED). Hospital-based diabetes centres that have an agreement with the INAMI-RIZIV must participate in audit and feedback cycles, organised within the framework of the IQED initiative. Separate initiatives exist for paediatric diabetes care (IQECAD), adult diabetes care (IQED) and care for patients with diabetic foot problems (IQED-Foot).
We use the data provided by the centres to calculate scores for a number of quality indicators. For example, we measure the percentage of patients whose diabetes is well controlled: we look at the value of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and compare it to internationally recommended target values. We use theses scores to compare the centres among each other and we inform them about their respective ranking. This benchmarking allows them to see which aspects of care they can improve. We also organise national meetings to facilitate the exchange of good practices between centres.
We draft reports on the quality indicator scores and the patients’ characteristics at a national level. These public reports allow the INAMI-RIZIV and other involved parties to keep policy aligned with current practices in diabetes care.
Through interactions with healthcare professionals in the field, we contribute to improve the quality of diabetes care. High quality care is necessary to prevent or properly control chronic complications, and to improve the quality of life of diabetes patients.
“Diabetes centres can see which aspects of care they can improve.”