OC-095 DUTCH INGUINAL HERNIA AUDIT (DIHA): A SURVEY OF CURRENT REGISTRATION, OBSTACLES AND POSSIBLE AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT

Abstract

Abstract Aim Quality assessment and improvement of surgical procedures can be achieved by clinical audits that provide feedback with benchmarking of surgical outcomes. The Dutch Institute for Clinical Auditing has successfully initiated multiple audits with clear impact on quality of care. Presently, there is no Dutch national inguinal hernia (IH) registry. This survey aimed to investigate current opinions of all Dutch surgeons regarding registration, and to explore potential obstacles in the implementation of a Dutch Inguinal Hernia Audit (DIHA). Material & Methods A web-based survey was sent to all (> 2.000) members of the Dutch Surgical Society, including surgeons and residents in training. Results Two-hundred sixty-seven respondents replied (hospital distribution: 33% small peripheral, 45% large peripheral, 11% academic, 11% other). Two-thirds (67%) agreed that the quality of IH care should be improved. Similarly, 66% answered that improvement could be achieved by registration of surgical outcomes. Those opposed to registration mainly stated fear of administrative burden and that the quality of care is already adequate. The vast majority of respondents agreed that chronic pain (91%) and recurrence (91%) should be used as indicators of IH surgery, which can both be collected as patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Conclusions A two-thirds majority of Dutch surgeons agree that the quality of inguinal care should be improved by implementing a Dutch national IH registry. Almost all agree that registration of chronic pain and recurrence as quality indicators can be registered as PROMs without increasing the administrative burden, which will facilitate successful implementation.