English survey shows wide disparity in joint replacement rates

Rates of joint replacement surgery in England vary significantly across regions, a new report says.

The number of procedures per 100 000 people was as much as 30% higher in some regions than in others. “Our data suggest that there are inequalities, and probably inequities, in the provision of joint replacements in England,” says the report, which was published ahead of print publication on 29 September in Public Health (www.sciencedirect.com, doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2005.06.003).

“We believe that there is an urgent need for the development of consensus on the indications for these operations and of …