Registries for implants and new interventions
Bossuyt, P.M.M.
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde 160: D115
2015
ISSN/ISBN: 1876-8784 PMID: 27007932 Document Number: 684799
An increasing number of registries are being set up in healthcare. Their development is sometimes guided by an explicit desire to control the unknown, as with most registries initiated for new devices as part of coverage with evidence development schemes. By definition, registries cannot answer questions about the effectiveness of interventions. At best, they document the outcomes after the intervention; it will remain unknown what the outcome would have been with a different implant or device, or without one. Nonetheless, registries can provide useful information for other purposes: for documenting appropriate use, for monitoring complications and revisions, for comparing observed outcomes against predicted outcomes, and for comparing different types of devices used for the same purpose. Registries can also assist quality improvement efforts by participating professionals and healthcare organisations.