Public Health Triangulation to inform decision-making in Belgium
Bossuyt, N.; Van Casteren, V.; Goderis, G.; Wens, J.; Moreels, S.; Vanthomme, K.; De Clercq, E.
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics 210: 855-859
2015
ISSN/ISBN: 1879-8365 PMID: 25991276 Document Number: 681594
We assessed the impact of a nation-wide ambulatory care complex intervention (the "care trajectory program") on quality of care in Belgium. We used the three-step public health triangulation method described in this paper and data from four different data sources: a national reimbursement database, an electronic patient record-based general practitioner network, the Belgian general practitioner sentinel network, and a new national registry for care trajectory patients. By applying our method and using the available evidence, we identified key findings that have been accepted by experts and stakeholders. We also produced timely recommendations for the decision-making process, four years after the start of the care trajectory program.