The Scottish Arthroplasty Project

Scottish Joint Registry

Hip and knee joint replacement surgery (Arthroplasty) is becoming more and more common in Scotland. Procedures are more successful, and the clinical outcome of patients is better than ever before. These procedures can vastly improve a patient’s well-being by increasing their mobility and relief from pain.

In order to encourage the continual improvement in the quality of care provided to Arthroplasty patients, orthopaedic consultants and Information Services Division (ISD) Quality Improvement team supported by the Department of Health decided to set up the Scottish Joint Registry (SJR). The SJR will monitor the use of hip and knee implants, orthopaedic surgeons carrying out hip and knee replacement procedures, and the clinical outcomes of patients. The goal of the SJR is to ensure that patients receiving hip and knee replacements in Scotland obtain the best possible care by

improving clinical care through the identification and sharing of best orthopaedic practice in hospitals.
increasing awareness of the long-term clinical outcomes of patients receiving hip or knee replacement
determining which are the best performing implants, and identifying any implant which is less successful over the longer term.

Whenever a patient goes to hospital, information is routinely collected about the patient and the care that they receive. This provides a picture of the whole patient journey, from admission through to when the patients goes home. The SJR records supplementary information to enhance what is routinely collected, including detailed information about the types of prosthetic joint implants used and information relating to clinical care during theatre.

Two hospitals have been acting as pilot sites for collecting SJR data. Following this successful pilot scheme, a new web-based system is currently under development by ISD, to be rolled out to further hospitals in Scotland throughout the coming year. In addition to collecting information on patients treated in NHS hospitals, we hope to include information from NHS patients and non-NHS patients treated in independent hospitals. This will provide a more complete picture of hip and knee joint replacements carried out in all Scottish hospitals.

This new system will allow hospitals to send their data to the SJR team at ISD for analysis. Analyses will allow feedback to hospitals and consultants on their performance carrying out hip and knee replacements. The data can be also be linked to the centrally held record of a patient’s care, allowing a patient’s progress to be followed in the months and years after their operation. The SJR will provide a fuller picture of patients undergoing hip or knee replacements in Scotland, ensuring that they obtain the best clinical care during their procedure and optimise their clinical outcome so that they remain fit and well for longer.

For further information on the SJR, please contact Dr Jamie Pearson