Any person undergoing spine surgery with surgeons participating in the registry will be given information about the registry. As this is an opt-out registry, patient details will automatically be included unless patients let their surgeon or the Australian Spine Registry know that they do not want to participate.
Pre surgery, the surgeon and their staff will collect information either directly from the patient at their appointment or from their medical record. In addition, they will be requested to complete two short 5 minute questionnaires about their general health.
At 6, 12 and 24 months post-surgery, the same two short questionnaires will be sent by email or regular mail from the Australian Spine Registry to find out about patient recovery. Patients may also receive a phone call to follow up.
Patients can opt-out at any time by contacting the registry on Free call 1800 998 722 or by emailing spineregistryau@monash.edu.