Aim
The main aim of the Belgian Society for Reproductive Medicine is to promote research and subsequent dissemination of research findings in Reproductive Medicine. To co-operate with appropriate organisations and institutions sharing the Society’s aims, in particular, to share knowledge and experience.
Board members (2023 – 2026)
Dominic Stoop (president)
Serge De Lathouwer (vice president)
David Pening (secretary)
Stefanie De Gheselle (treasurer)
Willem Verpoest (member)
Neelke De Munck (member)
Özlem Okutman (member)
David Jareno Martinez (member)
Isabelle Demeestere (past president)
Media publication of BELRAP data
The Belgian Society for Reproductive Medicine (BSRM) takes note of the publication in “De Tijd” and “De Morgen” journals of the BELRAP data , following their request at the Commission on the Law on Public Governance, which stated on the 3rd April 2024 that these data should be made available to the public. This is a paradigm change for Belgium where data have so far been communicated in anonymous way, contrary to many other countries, however fits in the culture of making the quality of healthcare more transparent to the public, health professionals and the authorities.
The BSRM has made it clear to the media that the figures which were published today need to be interpreted with great care because of ascertainment bias, population bias, data being potentially incomplete especially with regards to pregnancy outcome as well as analytical bias. Despite this the BSRM agrees that these differences cannot fully be explained by data bias, and that in the interest of our patients and in the best tradition of reproductive care in Belgium, measures are needed to assess and ameliorate results especially for those centres that fail to meet competency benchmarks.
The BSRM is fully committed, already before this publication, to provide the necessary support and debate to bring together experts and organisations in the field of quality of health care and reproductive medicine to develop the benchmarks, indicators as wells as platforms to assist health care professionals in Belgium to optimise their data registration and quality of care. The BSRM endorses publication of outcome results per IVF centre subject to optimal data collection and analysis. “We also stress that reproductive care is much more than a statistic; it very much involves personal and psychological support, surgical skills, traceability, equal access and many other factors that define quality of care.”
Honorary member
2024 – Etienne Van den Abbeel, Belgium
BSRM 