Welcome on this dashboard of the Belgian TDI register.
The collection of information on patients treated for their alcohol or drug use allows for a better understanding of the situation and trends of addiction in Belgium. These data on the socio-economic profile of patients and their substance use patterns are recorded since 2011 in the Belgian Treatment Demand Indicator Register (BTDIR). This register is a source of reliable, qualitative and comparable information over time to guide health policy and societal debates.
For more info, please visit Sciensano's TDI webpage .
Content of all variables collected in TDI. The data can be explored by region, type of center, primary substance, year and type of patient.
Evolution in time of the primary and problematic substances mentioned by patients. The data can be explored by region, type of center, primary substance and type of patient.
Evolution in time of several developed indicators. The data can be explored by region, type of center, primary substance and type of patient.
The Belgian TDI registration aims to collect information on each treatment episode started by a patient in a treatment centre for alcohol or substance use.
A patient is considered to be any person, regardless of age, nationality or place of residence, who has had direct contact with a treatment centre for his/her alcohol or substance use problem. This excludes anyone who has had contact by telephone, letter, internet or through their family.
A treatment centre is a facility or practitioner offering treatment for substance use problems. It may be an outpatient or residential service, specialised in addiction treatment or part of a wider range of services for different patient groups, medical or non-medical. The centre may be recognised in an agreement with the authorities. Non-professional support groups, centres offering only harm reduction activities, social reintegration, prevention services or outreach activities are not considered as treatment centres.
Treatment is defined as any activity aimed directly at a person with substance use problems, with the aim of achieving results in terms of reducing or eliminating these problems. Possible activities are detoxification or abstinence, substitution treatment, pharmacotherapy, long-term patient rehabilitation programmes, psychotherapy, counselling, structured treatment with a strong social component, medically assisted treatment, non-medical interventions, specific treatment in prison or interventions to reduce substance-related harm if included in a planned programme.
A treatment episode is defined as: the period between the start of treatment and the end of activities in the context of the prescribed programme. The beginning of the episode is the first face-to-face contact between the professional and the patient. The end of the episode is defined differently depending on whether the patient is treated in an outpatient or residential unit. In an outpatient setting, an episode of treatment ends when the patient does not attend the centre for more than 6 months. In residential care, the end of treatment is defined when the patient leaves the centre and no further admissions are planned.
A problematic substance is a substance causing problems to the patient. There can be several problematic substances mentioned in each treatment episode
The primary substance is the substance causing the most problems to the patient or the substance for which the patient started this treatment episode. If no primary substance can be identified among all problematic substance, the variable is left blank
The types of centers corresponds with : low-threshold: the medical social centres (MASS/MSOCs); ambulant: other non-residential units (daycenters, centers of mental health, consultation centers), residential non-hospital: residential centers such as therapeutic communities or detox centers, hospital: treatment units in psychiatric or general hospitals