Clinical Quality Registry


Clinical quality registries (CQRs) systematically measure and monitor the quality of healthcare by collecting, analysing and reporting health related information within a specific clinical domain.  CQRs have been developed for many different health conditions in Australia, such as stroke, cancer and hip fracture, and have been proven to be powerful tools for reducing variation in clinical practice and improving healthcare quality.  General information about clinical quality registries is available here.

Dementia was identified as a priority area for developing a CQR by the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Healthcare in 2016.

Internationally, CQRs for dementia have been found to facilitate better diagnosis, management, and care for people with dementia as well as improvement in carer support.

The Australian Dementia Network Registry (ADNeT Registry, or the Registry) involves memory clinics and dementia diagnostic services across Australia. Ultimately, the ADNeT Registry will incorporate all diagnostic settings and services for dementia and mild cognitive impairment in Australia and register the entire population of persons newly diagnosed with either dementia or mild cognitive impairment.  In doing so, the Registry will systematically drive improvements in the quality of care and patient outcomes.


The Australian Dementia Network Registry

The Australian Dementia Network Registry (ADNeT Registry, or the Registry) is a clinical quality registry for individuals newly diagnosed with either dementia or mild cognitive impairment. The Registry gathers and analyses health and care information to better understand what is working well and what needs to be changed to provide the best quality of clinical care and services.

The Registry is managed by Monash University.


How does the ADNeT Registry work?

Data Collection

The ADNeT Registry collects clinical data from participating sites to benchmark clinical practice in the diagnosis, management and care of people with either dementia or mild cognitive impairment. In addition, the ADNeT Registry collects information from Registry participants and their caregiver to incorporate the voice of people living with either dementia or mild cognitive impairment and their care partner.

Data Linkage

The ADNeT Registry also conducts data linkage with information routinely collected by various government bodies to understand variation in long-term outcomes, such as hospitalisations, entry into residential care, and use of medications. This data helps improve the care provided to dementia and mild cognitive impairment and care partner. It also informs health policy and service planning for this group of people.

Research Connection

The ADNeT Registry also helps connect interested Registry participants to research, such as the ADNeT Screening for Trials initiative.

Service Benchmark

Sites contributing to the ADNeT Registry benefit from their participation as they are able to benchmark their practice and service provision against other participating sites. This helps them gain a better understanding of their clinical population and practice and inform quality improvement initiatives.


What has the ADNeT Registry achieved?

Key achievements of the ADNeT Registry include:

  • The ADNeT Registry protocol has been developed and approved by the Alfred Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee under the National Mutual Acceptance Scheme (project number: 44037, approval date: 27 August 2018).
  • A modified Delphi Study has been completed which recommended a set of 18 potential clinical quality indicators (CQIs) for the ADNeT Registry.  These are specifically defined and measurable items which provide an indication of quality of care.  Seven of these CQIs have been endorsed by the ADNeT Registry Steering Committee.
  • Based on the endorsed CQIs and key stakeholder consultation, a baseline minimum dataset has been developed and implemented.
  • As of January 2023, the ADNeT Registry had 74 participating sites, with 55 sites actively contributing data.
  • Following the completion of a systematic scoping review, we have co-designed and implemented patient and carer surveys that measure what matters most to people living with either dementia or mild cognitive impairment and their care partners.
  • A collaboration has been established with the Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA) which recruits persons at the time of an aged care assessment in South Australia to monitor the health, service utilisation, medication use and other outcomes of this group.

By the end of 2023, we hope that most memory clinics across Australia will be participating in the ADNeT Registry.
We are also planning to expand to other diagnostic settings, including specialist and primary care.

The ADNeT Registry has great potential to improve quality of care provided to people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment in Australia, as well as enhance research opportunities for both consumers and researchers. In the future, when new therapies for dementia become available, the ADNeT Registry will be essential in ensuring that uptake is appropriate and equitable and longer-term outcomes can be assessed.

ADNeT Registry Annual Reports

The ADNeT Registry aims to issue a comprehensive report every year to provide a “report card” on the quality of care being delivered to Australians diagnosed with dementia and mild cognitive impairment.  Our annual reports, freely accessible via this website, will provide an overview of the ADNeT Registry coverage, participation, and key data on the quality of care using CQIs.



Contact Us

Please get in touch with us for more information on the ADNeT Registry.

Telephone
Email

1800 314 421 (free call within Australia)
adnet.registry@monash.edu