In brief

Bruxelles Woluwe

We study the quality of use of medicines in different populations and practice settings, with the following objectives:

  • to characterise this quality with regard to prescription, administration, follow-up and continuity of care;
  • to understand the factors underlying suboptimal practice;
  • to evaluate the consequences of suboptimal practice on clinical (eg adverse drug events, readmission to hospital), economic (cost and indirect costs), and humanistic (eg patient satisfaction) outcomes;
  • to evaluate the effect of various approaches for optimisation, such as:  collaborative care, health information technology, use of protocols, patient engagement,…

To this effect, we use quantitative as well as qualitative research methods, and we:

  • develop and/or validate instruments and tools to measure the quality of use of medicines
  • perform qualitative studies and/or surveys to identify the determinants of suboptimal practice
  • design, implement and evaluate various approaches for optimisation, that address the causes of suboptimal practice. Evaluation usually involves using (quasi)-experimental designs, continuous quality improvement studies and observational studies.
  • conduct systematic reviews on the effect of approaches for optimisation .