title: Belgian primary care EPR: assessment of nationwide routine data extraction.
abstract: Starting in 2009, the first ever Belgian nationwide data collection network using routine data extracted from primary care EPR (upload method) has been built from scratch. The network also uses a manual web-based data collection method. This paper compares these two methods by analysing missing and most recent values for certain parameters. We collected data from 4954 practices, pertaining to 29,180 patients. Mean values for the most recent parameters were similar regardless of which data collection method was used. Many missing recent values (&gt;46%) were found for all of the parameters when using the upload method. It seems that, in Belgium, uploading routine data from primary care EPR on a large scale is suitable and allows the collection of chronological retrospective data. However, the method still requires major, carefully controlled improvements.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Health and Society (IRSS), UCL, Belgium.
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Clercq
authors.affiliation: Scientific Institute of Public Health (IPH), Unit of Epidemiology, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: van Casteren
authors.affiliation: Scientific Institute of Public Health (IPH), Unit of Epidemiology, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bossuyt
authors.affiliation: Academisch Centrum voor Huisartsgeneeskunde, KU Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Goderis
authors.affiliation: Scientific Institute of Public Health (IPH), Unit of Epidemiology, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moreels
mesh_terms: D001530:Belgium; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055991:Health Records, Personal; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014600:Utilization Review