ES09 THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY ENDOCRINE SURGERY DATABASE: 50 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS DATA ACCRUAL

Abstract

Databases have recently become de rigeur. Our Unit database has for 50 years comprehensively documented all 17 401 endocrine surgeries by its active surgeons, commencing when surgical records were hand recorded and now evolved to a PC based program. Since 1957 the database has been integral to writing 136 research publications in referred journals relating to endocrine surgery. The most common form of database related research publication has been the development and evaluation of new endocrine techniques, to which this unit has made extensive contributions. Notable examples are introducing total thyroidectomy for benign multimodular goitre, one of the first publications ever worldwide on the topic coming from the unit in 1987. Data acquisition has also allowed documentation of the safety and efficacy of new minimally invasive endocrine procedures. The next most common form of original research relates to patterns of either thyroid or parathyroid disease in the community. For example this Unit was one of the first to report, over a decade ago, increasing incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer. The database has provided clinical information to support laboratory or molecular genetics research. It has also proven useful comparing outcomes in groups of patients separated in time. Surgical databases such as this have proved a powerful tool in improving societal heath care. Prospective acquisition of clinical data, without necessarily having a research objective defined prior to commencement of data accrual provides an unequalled resource to answer questions that may not have been thought of when the data was commenced.