Until now, there hasn’t been a national system to measure how hernia patients fare after treatment, but patient satisfaction and quality of life seem high.
The British Hernia Society (BHS) has published the first national hernia registry, as a nationwide system to measure how more than 100,000 hernia patients each year get on after surgery.
Its registry follows increasing calls for more transparency and monitoring of these surgical outcomes, particularly because of concerns around how mesh is used during the procedures.
Already in its first year, spanning November 2024 until December 2025, the registry has captured an excess of 2,200 hernia repairs from more than 230 surgeons across over 60 hospitals. These are joined by patient-reported outcomes, with early data encouragingly suggesting high patient satisfaction and good quality of life after surgery.
It intends to further provide robust, prospective data that works towards safer practice and improved patient confidence.
The registry’s captured details on operative techniques should allow meaningful analysis of outcomes over time.
It will now allow surgeons to compare approaches on a national scale and identify which techniques lead to fewer complications and quicker recovery. This will help to expose unwarranted variation and word on best practice, hopefully so that patients receive consistent care wherever their treatment takes place.
Surgeon involvement
Healthcare professionals might remember the 2020 report from Julia Cumberlege, Baroness Cumberlege, First Do No Harm, which called for national registries to support the long-term monitoring of implantable medical devices. The Royal College of Surgeons of England also recommended a central database for implanted devices, patients and surgeons in its evidence to the report.
In support, its president Tim Mitchell commented: “We encourage providers and surgeons to participate so this registry can become a valuable national resource, supporting research and improvements in clinical practice leading to better care for patients.”
“For the first time, we now have early data to help us understand national hernia outcomes, which will ultimately improve the quality of patient care… Surgeons will also be able to learn from each other to deliver better results for patients,” added Liam Horgan, chair of the BHS Registry Subcommittee.
Now, the BHS hopes that surgeons and healthcare organisations where hernia surgery takes place will contribute and continue to grow the dataset.