Minimum dataset
Probably the most essential data item is the
(new) National Health Service (NHS) number. This number is unique to each
individual and should allow patients to be followed from birth to death. A number
of audits in Scandinavia has been very successful at tracking patients over long
periods and long distances because of the Swedish equivalent of the new NHS
number. Outcome data on hip fractures and lower limb joint arthroplasty are
examples of the type of long-term data collection that has occurred in Sweden (Thorngren,
1993).