Welcome to the Herniamed Homepage!

Each year worldwide more than 30 million operations are performed because of hernias. These manifest with defects of the abdominal wall in the form of inguinal hernias, umbilical hernias or incisional hernias in proximity to surgical scars as well as epigastric hernias in the midline of the upper abdomen, but they can also occur in the region of artificial intestinal outlets (parastomal hernias) and in gaps in the diaphragm (hiatus hernias). While hernias are generally viewed as routine surgical procedures, the average recurrence rate of ten percent is relatively high. Following inguinal hernia operations, in particular, on average more than ten percent of patients develop pain in the inguinal region, which can under certain circumstances have a dramatically negative impact on their quality of life.
 
To improve the results and quality of hernia surgery, the non-profit organisation Herniamed was founded. This is a network of surgeons who have a particular interest in hernia surgery. The cornerstone of the Herniamed project is an internet-based quality assurance study (registry) into which all hospitals and private surgery practices can enter data, free of charge and using a scientifically corroborated standard, on the hernia operations performed by them. The results of treatment are followed up for up to ten years so that any problems occurring later can be reliably identified. Based on these findings, experts can then devise the best treatment options for patients.
 
The online journal Herniamed was set up to make the findings of the Quality Assurance Study/Registry available free of charge to all parties and publish ongoing scientific results.
 
The website features a patient information brochure and a glossary explaining surgical treatment of hernias (hernia surgery) to enable patients, relatives and other interested persons to gain as much information as possible on the topic of hernias. Here patients or interested parties can obtain in-depth information on inguinal hernia, umbilical hernia, incisional hernia, epigastric hernia, parastomal hernia, diaphragmatic hernia (hiatal hernia) and on reflux disease.

Online Registry

The new internet-based quality assurance program spanning the entire spectrum of surgical disciplines is intended as a means of improving the quality of patient care and of producing valid data on treatment research.

On the internet all relevant patient data can be entered free of charge into the study database (comorbidities, previous operations, staging, surgical technique, medical devices used, perioperative complications and follow-up data). Participants can call up their own data at any time in the form of a statistical evaluation facility. The Quality Assurance Study spanning all surgical disciplines comprises the following: inguinal hernias, umbilical hernias, incisional hernias, epigastric hernia, parastomal hernias and hiatal hernias. A module related to treatment of hernia in an infected area is being currently developed. The online Herniamed Quality Assurance Study meets the most stringent data protection criteria.

If you are interested in participating in the Herniamed Quality Assurance Study please register here:

Link to Registration

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