The Australasian Pelvic Floor Procedure Registry: Not before time

Abstract

On the 5th of April, this year, the federal health minister announced the Australian government would invest $2.3 million over three years to establish the Australasian Pelvic Floor Procedure Registry (APFPR).1 The objective of the registry is to improve the health outcomes of the tens of thousands of women who undergo pelvic floor reconstructive procedures each year. In 2018, the Australian Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee investigating the number of women in Australia who have had transvaginal mesh implants and related matters2 reported that for many Australian women, there has been significant suffering associated with the complications and long-term effects of pelvic floor mesh. To date, there has been no systematic tracking mechanism for the outcome of these procedures in the short or long term with respect to quality, safety and relative effectiveness. The APFPR will address these systemic deficits in the collection, analysis and reporting of pelvic floor procedures, to establish early warning systems, provide feedback to clinicians, hospitals and ultimately the public regarding the status of pelvic floor interventions which have the potential to provide significant improvements in quality of life.