The Swedish Quality Register for Otosclerosis Surgery

The Swedish Quality Register for Otosclerosis Surgery (SQOS), established in 2004, is one of nine officially authorized national registries for ear, nose and throat diseases. The register is independent of the National Board of Health and Welfare, to which the number of surgical procedures performed is mandatorily reported.

Surgical data and hearing outcomes are systematically collected from ENT clinics that perform stapes surgery, with the aim of developing and ensuring the quality of treatment. The data can be reviewed but also compared between clinics. 350-400 stapes surgeries are performed annually at approximately 20 clinics.

The register underwent a major revision and the redesigned register was launched in 2013. Data is collected in three forms:

• A baseline questionnaire including preoperative hearing, surgical method and perioperative complications
• A follow-up questionnaire including postoperative hearing and adverse symptoms
• Patient-related outcome measure (PROM) with questions including hearing improvement and complications

The registry is administered by a reference group commissioned by the Swedish Society for Otolaryngology and is funded by the Swedish government and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions.

The registry contains information on several factors related to otosclerosis surgery that may affect the outcome of the surgery. Longitudinal results at national and unit level as well as PROM data are presented openly (in Swedish).

See list of Scientific articles based on data in the register.

Coverage

Since the registry was relaunched in 2013, coverage at the national level has improved. For the entire period 2013-2023, coverage was 90% and for 2023, 91%.

Completeness

The registry has a high degree of completeness with follow-up registrations of 91% and patient-reported outcome (PROM) registrations of 70% for the period 2013-2023. In 2024, PROM registrations were 82%.