Canadian Joint Replacement Registry Significantly Expands Coverage

Nicole de Guia, Consultant
Trauma and Joint Replacement Registries
CIHI
Toronto, ON

The Canadian Joint Replacement Registry (CJRR) has recently expanded as a national data holding, capturing surgical information on total hip and total knee replacement surgeries. For the first time, in July 2003, a subset of data from the Ontario Joint Replacement Registry (OJRR) was sent to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), which manages the CJRR, to be incorporated into the national dataset. The data flow occurred via the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and through this process, updated data will be sent to CIHI on an annual basis. This addition to the CJRR is significant, as Ontario surgeons comprise approximately 34% of the estimated number of Canada’s orthopaedic surgeons performing hip and knee replacement surgeries. Also, Ontario surgeons perform 44% of all hip and knee replacement surgeries in the country (data based on Hospital Morbidity fiscal 2000-01 data). CJRR now has participating surgeons from every Canadian province and one Territory.

In addition, CJRR continues to set record-breaking increases in the number of data forms received every month. March 2003 was the first month that CJRR surpassed 1,500 forms received in a single month. December 2003 marked the first month that CJRR surpassed 2,000 forms received at the CIHI office.

These increases in surgeon participation and submitted data will help CJRR become an increasingly valuable source of information to help surgeons identify ways to improve patient care and the quality of total hip and total knee replacement procedures. Currently, there are 454 orthopaedic surgeons who participate in the CJRR (including surgeons participating in the OJRR). Of these, 285 surgeons submit data directly to the CJRR.

Participating surgeons submit data to the CJRR on a voluntary basis and obtain explicit consent from patients to have their information incorporated into the Registry. Forms received must indicate patient consent in order to be entered into the CJRR database.

Surgeons who wish to participate in this growing registry can complete the CJRR Participation Fax-Back Form available on CIHI’s website (www.cihi.ca/cjrr) or by contacting Ann Baker at (416) 481-2002. More information on the registry and its products can be obtained via the website or by contacting Nicole de Guia by phone at (416) 481-2002 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it