A Centralized Total Joint Replacement Registry Using Web-Based Technologies

There are three current formats for reporting the performance of orthopaedic implants: prospective, randomized clinical trials; meta-analyses; and retrospective case series. Maloney1 argued that none of these approaches is suitable as an early warning system for problems related to total joint implants because of the long delays between the performance of the studies and the publication of the results. To address this problem, he proposed the creation of a national joint registry that would accomplish three goals: it would define the epidemiology of joint replacement surgery in a particular patient population, provide timely information to the orthopaedic community on the outcomes of joint replacements, and identify risk factors for a poor outcome and then improve results through continuous feedback to participating centers and surgeons.