The aim of this initiative is to improve and maintain the quality of care for individuals receiving joint replacement surgery in Ireland.

INOR is a national electronic register of patients receiving joint replacement surgery in Ireland. Elective orthopaedic hip and knee replacement records will now be available nationally in a central register for the first time. The register will collate information from UHK and will support early detection of implant performance and improve the efficiency of the recall and review process.

Following patient consent, the INOR will collect information electronically at pre-operative, surgical and post-operative assessment stages, from patients who are undergoing joint replacement surgery. This will in turn support early detection of implant performance and improve patient experience with their implant over a longer time.

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UHK welcomes this engagement with the Irish National Orthopaedic Register. UHK believes that this link will be vital to ensure the standard of joint replacement care at our hospital is nationally and internationally recognised.

Mr. John Rice, Clinical Lead INOR Project, University Hospital Kerry

I would like to complement and thank all staff in University Hospital Kerry from senior management, surgeons, nursing, clerical and ICT on the enthusiasm and buy in on the project from the outset. It has been a pleasure to work with everyone and we look forward to our continued partnership in this patient safety initiative.

Suzanne Rowley, INOR Manager

Over the past six months, much work was undertaken by the local UHK implementation team for INOR in conjunction with the INOR national team to ensure implementation readiness across all relevant areas of University Hospital Kerry.

INOR is a secure, web-based, real-time system that went live in May 2016 and is currently rolling out nationally. Its aim is to improve and maintain the quality of care for individuals receiving joint replacement surgery in Ireland. The register will collate information from all hospitals in Ireland undertaking joint replacement surgery and will support early detection of implant performance and improve the efficiency of the recall and review process.

It is managed by the National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA), in conjunction with the HSE Office of the Chief Information Officer and clinically supported by Irish Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon (IITOS). Roll-out of INOR to the remaining public elective orthopaedic surgery sites is underway and will be completed by mid-2020.