MoU Sees ABHI Vascular Group support the development of the National Vascular Registry
I am pleased to announce that a Memorandum of Understanding has been co-signed by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, the Royal College of Surgeons, and ABHI, to progress with phase 1 of the National Vascular Registry (NVR). This will now introduce the facility for NHS staff to record details of implanted medical devices onto the NVR data collection system.
There is an increasing desire from the clinical community, industry and the government to collect and report on information relating to implantable medical devices (IMD). Well-designed and executed registries are a vital component in developing an evidence base for these products. The NVR measures the quality of care and outcomes for patients who undergo vascular surgery in NHS hospitals, recording information on the main arterial procedures performed by vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists.
The project will proceed in several phases, starting with one type of procedure, namely, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) repair. After the end of phase 1, each participating manufacturer of IMDs for AAA repair captured in the database will receive a report from the NVR, including details on aspects such as hospital stay and patient characteristics. The intention is that the programme will then expand to other vascular procedures as it enters it second phase later this year.
Declan Dunphy, the Chair of ABHI’s Vascular Group who led this work said: "This is the culmination of 18 months work, and we are delighted to have progressed to this stage. A key priority for our group is to identify and develop registries that meet all stakeholder requirements, which can in turn further contribute to the long-term safety of devices as part of an agreed framework with the clinical community."
Jonathan Boyle, Clinical Lead for the NVR and Chair of the Audit and QI Committee of the Vascular Society, added: "It is vital that we are able to accurately capture the details of implantable medical devices at the time of implantation and monitor their long-term performance to improve patient safety and outcomes. I am very grateful for the support of ABHI, the hard work undertaken by the NVR team at the Royal College of Surgeons and the enthusiasm of other stakeholders, including HQIP, GIRFT, Northgate and the MHRA, who have helped to deliver this project."
