Following a meeting of the NJR Steering Committee in 2018, it was agreed to establish a PROMs working group, led by the Chair of the NJR’s Research Committee, Professor Mark Wilkinson. The role of the group is to determine how the NJR can gain access to PROMs data which is regarded as a necessary endpoint, in addition to death and revision, when considering the outcomes of joint replacement surgery.
For shoulder replacement joint surgery, the NJR commenced regular six-month follow-up in April 2017 for patients who had undergone surgery after 1st October 2016. Three year follow-up will commence in October 2019 with five year follow-up starting in October 2021. The disappointingly low rate of pre-operative submissions is being addressed by the British Elbow and Shoulder Society, in conjunction with the NJR and the Get It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme. Response rates to questionnaires sent directly to patients at their home addresses averages at just over 80%. Even without high rates of pre-operative scores, there is evidence to suggest that the post-operative scores can indicate the likely outcome of surgery.
It is expected that the NJR will be provided with English PROMs data by NHS Digital in April 2019. The data, which goes up to 31 December 2018, will be used in a number of the NJR’s reporting services, including NJR Clinician Feedback where it is hoped that, for the first time, it will be possible to publish surgeon-level PROMs scores.