Impact of Reformation of the Arthroplasty Register From Analogic to Digital-Based Data: Increased Completeness and Accuracy of Knee Revision Data

Background Internationally, attempts have been made to harmonize arthroplasty registries to improve the comparison of outcomes. In Finland, a thorough reformation of the Finnish Arthroplasty register (FAR) was implemented because register data had become outdated. Both the data collection system and the registry contents, including the classification of revision indications, were reformed and data gathering became fully electronic in 2014. Here, we aim to assess how the reformation of the FAR data collection system has affected the completeness and accuracy of the reporting of the reasons for knee revision in Finland. We also describe the reform of FAR data in detail and compare the reasons for knee revision in different national joint arthroplasty registries. Methods We identified 160 revision knee arthroplasties performed at our institution before reformation of the FAR (2013) and 189 revisions after the reformation (2016). Detailed information on these revisions was obtained from the hospital's database and compared with information recorded in the FAR. Results Registration completeness for the revision knee arthroplasties performed at our institution was 73% (117/160) in 2013 and 100% (189/189) in 2016. Moreover, after registry reform, the accuracy of registering periprosthetic joint infections also improved. Indeed, whereas only 65% of periprosthetic joint infections (31/48) were correctly recorded in the FAR in 2013, the corresponding figure was 98% (79/81) in 2016. Conclusions Following the reformation of the FAR data collection system, both the accuracy and completeness of knee revision data improved. Additionally, the harmonization of arthroplasty registries internationally will enable a more coherent comparison of outcomes.