Establishment of a National Hand Surgery Data Registry: An Avenue for Quality Improvement.

Abstract

Considerable variation exists in the practice of hand surgery that may lead to wasteful spending and less than optimal quality of care. Hand surgeons can benefit from a centralized system that tracks process and outcome measures, delivers national benchmarking, and encourages the sharing of knowledge. A national registry can fulfill these needs for hand surgeons and incorporate quality improvement into their daily routine. Leaders in hand surgery should convene to appraise the organization of a national registry for their field and reach consensus on how the registry can be designed and funded.