The National Joint Registry (NJR) collects information about hip, knee, ankle, elbow and shoulder joint replacement operations (arthroplasty) from all participating hospitals in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the States of Guernsey. As the largest of its kind in the world, the registry has recently been described in UK Parliament as a global exemplar by the Under Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
The purpose of the registry is to record patient information and provide data on the performance and longevity of replacement joint implants, the surgery outcomes for the hospitals where these operations are carried out and the performance of the surgeons who conduct the procedures.
The NJR produces this Annual Report summarising its work and sharing the analysis of data for the past year visually in tables and graphs, for procedures across each of the joints as well as implant and hospital outcomes. NJR data have been analysed by expert statisticians and the results published annually with the aim of enhancing safety, whilst continually improving clinical outcomes for the benefit of patients and the whole healthcare sector - results are also shared with implant manufacturers. The report also includes some short excerpts which showcase NJR’s contribution to orthopaedic research activity, demonstrating the value of the use of this collected data.
The work of the NJR and the contribution of patients
The registry has shown that orthopaedic surgery, as one of the main uses of implants in the UK, is demonstrating the highest standards of patient safety with regard to the use of implants. Now with well over three million records, NJR data are also made available under strict security conditions to medical and academic researchers, to further progress the pool of work in measuring and understanding which practices provide better outcomes.
NJR’s data collection and analysis work provides evidence to drive the continuous development and implementation of measures to ensure implant safety is always top of the agenda, to enhance patient outcomes and reduce revision rates year-on-year, to improve standards in quality of care, and to address overall cost-effectiveness in joint replacement surgery.
The NJR is very grateful to all patients who having undergone a joint replacement have provided their data over the years, which has enabled such a rich and valuable data source. The registry is also appreciative of the work of data entry staff in participating hospitals, who willingly engage in our stringent data quality award programmes to ensure our information is as accurate and thorough as possible.