Nomenclature and classification of complications. Standard procedure at Heidelberg University Orthopaedic Clinic

In order to get a better data management of complications in orthopedic surgery and in order to get comparable statistics a standardisation of nomenclature and classification of complications is demanded since 1.1.1997. The Orthopedic University Clinic of Heidelberg started with a register of all early complications of all inpatients. According to a standardized nomenclature all occured complications the doctors put in the data of complications in a database. These data were controlled, complemented and classified by members of the quality menagement group. This guideline consists of five parts: catalogue of diagnoses, general and special definitions, classification and an allocation table of diagnoses to grades of severity.