January 06, 2009 Skip Navigation Links.Projects.National joint registry

The national joint registry (NJR)

Background

The Department of Health required a record of all hip and knee replacement operations in England and Wales from April 2003.

Objectives

  1. To provide a safe and secure repository for data on hip and knee replacement procedures
  2. To be able to enter data from any participating hospital
  3. To monitor the performance of components used in replacement procedures
  4. To display and report information to interested stakeholders including hospitals, surgeons and component suppliers
  5. To produce an Annual Report of the NJR

Development and Implementation

Advent IT developed the NJR Database and its applications. The NJR is a vital tool in improving clinical standards for hip and knee replacements. It benefits patients, clinicians and the orthopaedic industry.

Data is entered online through a web application and is stored in a secure, encrypted SQL Server database. The data-entry applications are written in ASP.NET and C# .NET. Downloads of relevant data are made available to various stakeholders including component suppliers, hospitals and surgeons.

Management functions are performed using a .NET windows forms management client which uses a remotely hosted web service to interface to the database. The management client connects securely to the web service using SSL / HTTPS.

Benefits

The benefits of having all hip and knee replacement data available electronically are immense. Patients can feel assured that the suitability and performance of joint components is regularly monitored and assessed. Hospitals and the Department of Health can evaluate joint replacement procedures and patients can read the Annual Reports. Surgeons can evaluate their own operations which are accessible to them in several formats. Health Economics professionals can conduct research in this essential area of medicine.

Publications and Research
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