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Abstract  The Hereditary Cancer Registers (HCR) offer registration to individuals at risk of hereditary bowel cancer. Most families are registered to the HCR via Familial Cancer Clinics (FCC)s. The FCCs work together with the HCR to inform family members that they may be at increased risk of hereditary bowel cancer. In 2002, The Hunter Family Cancer Service (HFCS) and the HCR developed a system to ensure at risk family members become informed of their risk. Evaluation of this system is presented. The system involves tracking which family members are informed of their risk using a rating system. Being informed is graded numerically, from 5 (not informed) through to 1(definitely informed). Changes in score are brought about through staff and the FCC and HCR working with registrants to contact at risk family members. This study analyses data collected for a subgroup of 21 families registered with the HCR by the HFCS. Baseline and resulting scores indicated whether the 738 at risk family members had become better informed of their risk. One hundred and sixty eight individuals changed to a score of “definitely informed” and 230 individuals score changed from “not informed” to being better informed. The results demonstrate significant change in these family members towards becoming better informed (z = −13.88, P  [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Objective The purpose of this study was to determine risk factors of adverse events in five surgical procedures. : Design Retrospective record review was used to determine adverse events and risk factors of 1177 surgical admissions. Procedures included in this study were transurethral resection of prostate, hysterectomy, hip and knee arthroplasty, cholecystectomy and herniorrhaphy. Risk factors included comorbidity, lifestyle factors and medications. Stepwise multiple logistic regression was used to determine predictors of adverse events. : Setting Two teaching hospitals in regional New South Wales, Australia. : Participants 1177 surgical admissions for five high volume procedures. : Main outcome measures Identified predictors of adverse events in surgical admissions. : Results The adverse event rate was 23.1% for all procedures (range 17.5–33.7% for the five procedures). Two factors were strongly predictive of an adverse event in all surgical admissions: age >70 years [odds ratio (OR) 1.9, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.3–2.6] and duration of operation (P = 0.005). Other predictive factors were: contaminated surgical site (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2–3.7) and anaemia (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–2.8). Predictive factors of individual procedures included: urine retention (transurethral resection of the prostate); extended duration of operation and asthma (hysterectomy); acute admissions and extended duration of operation (cholecystectomy); and warfarin type drugs, ethanol abuse, failed prostheses, GI ulcer/inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, and ischaemic heart disease (hip and knee joint arthroplasty). : Conclusions The results of this study suggest that five factors should be routinely monitored for patients undergoing these procedures: age >70 years, type of procedure, duration of operation >2 h, contaminated surgical site and anaemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]