Systematic and prospective collection of data (Registro degli Interventi di Protesi d’Anca – RIPA-L) on hip replacement operations is underway in the Lazio Region (Italy) as part of a multi-regional registry on orthopaedic prosthetic surgery. The project is partially funded by the Ministry of Health and includes five regions of Italy, coordinated by Istituti Ortopedici Rizzoli, Bologna, in co-operation with the Italian National Institute of Health. The aim of the project is to create – as a first attempt in Italy – a national database on hip replacement operations in order to monitor adverse events related to orthopaedic prostheses. First, in the Lazio region, standardised methods and data collection instruments were developed and assessed in a pilot study at three hospitals in Rome (teaching, public and private). The case report form (CRF) includes identification data, clinical findings, details of the operation (duration, grade of surgeon, and operative technique) and characteristics of the prosthesis. A web-based CRF facilitates data registration (www.asplazio.it). Second, 32 orthopaedic centres agreed to participate in the initiative and started collecting data. Indeed, 53% of all hip replacement operations in the Lazio region are performed in these centres (n=6355, source: Regional Hospital Information System, 2003).

RIPA-L represents an important instrument to monitor the quality of hip replacement surgery in the Lazio region and to collect information on types of orthopaedic prostheses, contributing to the national database and, more generally, promoting quality in orthopaedic surgery.