Dr. Wood’s Use of Technology
Arthroplasty Registries
The orthopaedic community worldwide has realized the importance of arthroplasty databases, or Registries, and many countries such as the UK, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, New Zealand , and recently Canada, participate in such registries. These registries are large databases that record every patient who has received a joint replacement. This allows surgeons to track complications and failure rates of most implants used. This information can direct surgeons of what implants to use and when, and identify patient groups that do better with certain products. This information is also available to patients and the annual published results are accessible through the web. Links to those pages and information can be found in the Patient Resources section.
Database
Dr. Wood has a similar database to collect the same information and submits this data to the Canadian Joint Registry. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) has made this a mandatory process in Canada. Ortech is a Canadian company that provides this database and meets all the necessary Canadian Security specifications to secure patients data. This data is only accessed by Dr. Wood and no third party has access.
Patients are asked to provide an email address if they have one at the time of listing for surgery. This is for the purpose of the database to allow communication with the patient and to send secure links to the patient that allows them access to the database. Patients can click on this link and securely supply information on their condition and performance of their joints before and after surgery. The database can also schedule future follow-up of patients and track the performance annually through questionnaires patients complete in this manner. Changes in scores can perhaps identify any problems earlier without necessarily asking the patients to attend for an annual clinic review – patients can get piece of mind without the inconvenience.
Dr. Wood also scans every implant that is inserted for every patient and produces a certificate to the patient with all the operative details. Every implant is barcoded and has a unique identifier. This information locally and on a national and international basis helps improve the quality and future advancement of implant technology.
The above are just some ways technology can streamline patient care and make use of limited resources – another reason why this website has been developed for the interaction and benefit of patients and other allied healthcare professionals. If you have any questions about Dr. Wood, his research, database, or registries please feel free to contact us.
Whilst we can assure a secure email to send information to us, many individual emails do not necessarily have the same security that allows complete confidentiality in any email replied response. In such cases, an email reply may not be secure enough to protect your confidentiality, as we hold patient confidentiality in high regard.
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