Interactive analysis of Belgian vital statistics on the Internet

The purpose of the Centre for Operational Research in Public Health (CORPH) is to optimize the accessibility to health information, thus making it possible to measure and follow up the health status of the Belgian population. The Standardized Procedures for Mortality Analysis (SPMA) software was developed in order to facilitate the use of vital statistics for health policy-makers and scientific researchers. Nowadays, SPMA is available on the Internet, because accessibility to health information is crucial. SPMA serves via a system of menus as the interface between databases (population, birth, and mortality) on one hand and statistical procedures on the other hand. Users can choose the parameters such as year, cause of death, geographical level, and statistical indicator, and so dynamic reports are produced 'on demand'. These procedures are available for the following modules: overall mortality, specific cause mortality, and perinatal statistics. Analysis can be carried out for one specific year or for a period over time. Pre-defined procedures accessible through menus make SPMA user-friendly, as it can be used without any preliminary knowledge of the statistical package. Tables, charts, or maps display the results. Users need only an Internet browser to access the application.