The past three decades have confirmed the usefulness of the national Registries established by societies of nephrology. These registries contain data collected from uremic patients receiving renal replacement therapy (dialysis, transplantation) and provide analysis of epidemiological findings and technical problems. Regional Registries were established in different multinational areas of the world to provide more widely applicable information.
After the first few years of data collection for the regional Registries, comparisons between findings generated by various Registries were found to be somewhat unsatisfactory because of the different terminology and methodology used. The European Renal Association (ERA), recognising these problems and the resultant medical, scientific and economic implications, appointed Council member F.P. Schena to organize meetings among representatives of the various Registries to resolve the discrepancies in reporting and analysing data.
At the 1997 International Congress of Nephrology, held in Sydney, a meeting of the chairmen of the Registries was held as a first step forward towards improving and standardising renal databases and promoting collaborative studies.

Delegates were:

• Disney and J. Stewart for the Australian and New Zealand Registry
• S.S.A. Fenton for the Canadian Registry
• J.D. Briggs and R. Gellert for the EDTA Registry (together with EDTA members V. Cambi, J. Pinto Dos Santos, and D. Tsakiris)
• K. Maeda, T. Shinzato and S. Nakai for the Japanese Registry
• L. Agodoa for the USRDS.

The discussants formulated five objectives:

1. To initiate a continuous dialogue between associates of the renal Registries for the improvement and standardisation of renal databases
2. To establish well defined terminology
3. To develop a common methodology for analysing data
4. To work towards improved international collaborative studies
5. To assemble a list of minimum of data necessary for a common questionnaire

Pertinent issues will again be addressed at a round table discussion to be held in San Antonio during the American Society of Nephrology meeting, at which the chairmen of the Registries not represented at Sydney will be asked to formulate a joint proposal involving all of the Registries of the world.