About NJRI
A joint registry helps in continuous improvement of outcomes and aids the learning process. Total joint replacement has become popular in India but has a long way to go before it gets streamlined. There are already very successful joint registries in other countries. However, data from elsewhere cannot be generalized for India because of geographical, cultural and anatomical variations. Some newer implants such as metal on metal joint replacements are being used in India with little emphasis on follow-up of these patients. Nobody knows who is using these implants and what happens to the patients in the long-term. Orthopaedic surgeons in India would be soon facing with a mammoth task of revision operations as increasing number of joint replacements are being done, the life expectancy continues to improve and patient expectations are increasing. It would be worthwhile for Indian Orthopaedic surgeons to have their own results at hand and to keep track of their practice. Information from the joint registries can be used for patient education as well.
Also, increasingly, India is developing as a big hub for medical tourism and there is a huge influx of patients from other countries to India for joint replacements. If we have our own joint registry, then we can establish and demonstrate standardized techniques and standardize our results in relation to other developed countries. This will reassure the in-coming patients of our high standards and results.
At the heart of the NJRI is a database of all the joint replacement information that is collected by surgeons, including patients' personal information (subject to patient consent). The NJRI uses an electronic system for collecting the data and encryption for transferring the data to the database.
The NJRI recognizes that security and confidentiality are natural concerns for us all. Patients’ personal data is treated as confidential at all times and cannot be used outside of the NJRI. This data is only available to the surgeon. Procedures are in place to protect the information and to keep it confidential. Data collected via the NJRI may be used for medical research. However, any data provided will be anonymised so that it is not possible to identify individuals.
Publications and Reports:
We will post copies of the NJRI annual reports which detail the Registry's aims and achievements over a 12 month period. The data provided in our annual reports is analyzed using standard statistical techniques.
The access to report is divided into 3 levels:
• Level one: a general overview of the work of the NJRI. This provides statistical highlights of the data provided during the year, summarizes major developments. This provides an analysis of survivorship of hip and knee joint replacement surgery, using data submitted to the NJRI. This is available on the website and is for general public viewing.
• Level two: This is accessible only to the individual surgeons and involves detailed analysis and description of their patients, results and statistics. This data is not available for general viewing.
• Level three: All the data of the registry is available only to the core committee of the registry and is treated in a strictly confidential way, for the purpose of analysis and interpretation
Entering data:
The data is entered electronically using relevant forms. These forms are very simple and are self explanatory.
Accessing Data:
The surgeons can assess their respective data by logging in to their logins.