What data does the registry collect?
Patients who present to their medical team with and bone or joint infection are added to the registry. This includes infections of a normal bone or joint or one that has previously undergone an operation such as a joint replacement.
The information collected includes details about the patient, the nature of the bone or joint infection, the results of the relevant investigations performed, antibiotic and surgical treatments, and outcome data on how well the patient is functioning before and after their treatment.
The information importantly also contains the local hospital and NHS number in order to check the patient against national data regarding re-operation and survival. This information is vital to help to establish which treatments result in the best outcomes for patients with bone and joint infections.
Why your involvement is important
Patients involvement is vital to the success of the registry in finding out what treatments work best in treating these complex conditions.
The information collected is valuable as it allows clinicians to understand the nature and incidence of bone and joint infections, the profile of patients, the treatments employed and the results that are being achieved by hospitals around the country.
There are many different types of patients and infections so we need to collect data from large numbers of patients and treatments to confidently asses what are the best treatments for each one.
What participating in the registry means for patients
It is entirely optional whether you want to participate in the registry or not and you care will not be unaffected if you decide not to participate. Patients will be contacted by post to ask for their consent to be part of the registry at 6 months. Patients will also be asked to fill out a postal questionnaire about their symptoms at 6 months, 1 year and then at yearly intervals. This assesses the degree of ongoing pain and symptoms following their treatment for infection. The information that patients provide in these forms will be available to their treating hospital to monitor their health and the success of their treatment. From the information collected on these questionnaires, anonymised data will be used for the purposes of understanding bone and joint infection better. Participation in filling out these outcome questionnaires is not compulsory. At any point you can inform us that you no longer wish to participate and we will no longer contact you.
BAJIR Bone & Joint Infection Registry 