Overview

Brochure

Introduction

Over one million total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) surgeries are performed in the world each year. Although a few countries, such as Sweden, have well-established national joint arthroplasty registry programs, a majority of countries do not. Surgical practices, hospital resources, patient demographic factors, and outcomes may vary widely by surgeon, hospital, and country. However, little or no data have been available to compare clinical practices and outcomes from a multinational perspective.

Because there has been no systematic attempt to characterize the frequency of hip and knee arthroplasty surgeries, in-hospital clinical practices, and short-term patient outcomes on a multinational basis, there is a distinct need for a comprehensive registry of hip and knee arthroplasty. Such an effort will:

  • Describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients who undergo hip or knee arthroplasty and document post operative outcomes, globally and on a hospital- and country-specific basis
  • Provide a detailed analysis of the use of medical and surgical therapies and other management approaches used to minimize short- and long-term complications following hip or knee arthroplasty
  • Examine the relationship between processes of care, hospital and surgeon-associated outcomes, and 3- and 12-month post-operative outcomes

Goals and Objectives

The Global Orthopaedic Registry (GLORY) provides an opportunity to collect, analyze, and disseminate data on patients who undergo THA or TKA. Continued surveillance of the effectiveness of practices and evaluation of causes for suboptimal outcomes are critical steps toward improving health care. The goal of GLORY is to improve patient care through a better understanding of patient demographics, management, and in-hospital and post-discharge outcomes. Comparison of individual hospital data with aggregate registry data should favorably impact the quality of patient care on both a local and national scale. Once issues are identified, corrective actions can be recommended to surgeons who can implement changes and assess their impact.

The objectives of GLORY are to:

  • Provide expanded data to orthopaedic surgeons to characterize existing and evolving practice patterns, delivery of care, and resource utilization in the management of THA/TKA patients
  • Provide data to support internal and external standards and benchmarking of treatment patterns and patient outcomes
  • Analyze data and design ancillary studies to address unanswered clinical questions
  • Disseminate findings through publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals

Study Management

GLORY is sponsored by a grant from Sanofi to the Center for Outcomes Research (COR), located at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester. COR will serve as the Study Coordinating Center for GLORY. The registry is governed by the GLORY Scientific Advisory Committee, which includes orthopaedic surgeons representing each participating country and clinical scientists with experience in the design and analysis of registry data from joint arthroplasty patients. Fred Anderson, PhD, Director of the COR and Scientific Director of GLORY, is responsible for the proper scientific and ethical conduct of this registry, including assurance that appropriate measures for the protection of participants (including hospitals, physicians, and patients) are instituted and followed.