International participation in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Database

In 2011 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Workforce on National Databases established the International Database Task Force devoted to expanding participation in the STS National Database internationally. The vision for this initiative was to assist in the globalization of outcomes data and share knowledge, facilitating a worldwide quality collaborative in cardiac surgery. The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel, was among the first of several international sites to join the collaborative. This report outlines the rationale behind clinical databases outside of North America submitting data to the STS National Database and reviews the unique challenges and practical steps of integration through experiences by Hadassah Medical Center. Our hope is that this procedural learning will serve as a template to assist future international program integration.