Since 2001, recognised diabetes centres have contributed to the IQED (Initiative for Quality Improvement and Epidemiology in Diabetes) project, coordinated by Sciensano in collaboration with national experts. Through structured and regular data collection, IQED compiles standardised information on care processes and outcomes across centres. 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. It collects data from individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes older than 16 years, followed up in specialized diabetes centers. Data are collected from more than 100 centers across Belgium, covering patient profile, drug treatment, risk factors for developing micro- and macrovascular diabetes complications, and prevalence of acute and chronic complications. This high-quality dataset forms the backbone of continuous quality monitoring, allowing benchmarking and the identification of best practices.
The availability of well-curated, comparable data has been instrumental in transforming raw information into actionable insights. Building on this foundation, the IQED data has enabled the development of the interactive IQED tool, which provides visualisations that support the exploration of the IQED data. By translating data into accessible and practical outputs, the tool supports healthcare professionals in evaluating performance and guiding quality improvement initiatives.