The American Hernia Society Quality Collaborative and Intuitive Surgical, Inc., a surgical robotics company, announced a partnership to enable surgeons to share information about hernia removal procedures.
The database, managed by AHSQC, contains real-time patient data, peer and institutional data and assessments of best practices for the removal of abdominal hernias, according to a news release. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Intuitive Surgical is one of six founding partners in the initiative, and gifted $50,000 to the organization.
The main purpose of the database is to track procedures and outcomes to determine best practices. Items being assessed are factors contributing to hernia recurrence, quality of life after surgery, reduction in surgical site complications, advantages of minimally invasive repair and minimizing pain during surgery. The database also includes a patient-centered data collection mechanism, allowing surgeons to receive feedback. Clinical outcomes are listed as well as patient demographics, preoperative evaluation, operative details, 30-day follow-ups, patient-entered long-term follow-ups through patient portals and a surgeon-entered long-term follow-up.
The service is free to American Hernia Society members and initially launched in 2013.