Assessing the sensitivity and representativeness of the Belgian Sentinel Network of Laboratories using test reimbursement data.

BACKGROUND: The Belgian Sentinel Network of Laboratories (SNL) was created in 1983 in order to monitor trends in infectious diseases. Given the evolution of the surveillance system, such as the waivers, fusions and adhesions of laboratories over time, it is important to evaluate whether the SNL is still fit for purpose. This study aims to evaluate aspects of the sensitivity and representativeness of the SNL by means of a test coverage analysis. METHODS: We estimated test coverage of the SNL using the ratio of reimbursed tests performed by participating laboratories to the total number of tests... Mehr ...