Establishing a National Registry for Musculoskeletal Tumours in Nigeria: Framework Development, Pilot Implementation, and Data Quality Assessment

The absence of a national registry for musculoskeletal tumours in Nigeria has left clinicians, researchers, and policy makers without reliable data on incidence, histological subtypes, treatment patterns, and survival outcomes, creating a profound evidence vacuum for this patient population. This study develops, pilots, and evaluates a framework for the Nigerian Musculoskeletal Tumour Registry (NMSTR), designed to capture longitudinal tumour data from all geopolitical zones. Phase one involves a formative research process using Delphi consensus methodology with 40 orthopaedic surgeons, pathologists, oncologists, and health informaticians to define minimal dataset variables and registry architecture. Phase two deploys a pilot registry at eight purposively selected centres including National Orthopaedic Hospital Igbobi, LUTH, UCH Ibadan, UNTH Enugu, AKTH Kano, UPTH Port Harcourt, FETHA Abakaliki, and UITH Ilorin. Registry data quality will be assessed over twelve months using completeness, accuracy, consistency, and timeliness metrics against a defined data quality framework. Phase three evaluates stakeholder experience and implementation fidelity through mixed-methods process evaluation. The study hypothesises that a centralised web-based registry achieves greater data completeness than facility-based paper records, and that designated tumour data managers are a critical enabler of registry success. Findings will provide a replicable registry implementation model for other musculoskeletal subspecialties in Nigeria. Keywords: musculoskeletal tumour registry, Nigeria, national registry, data quality, Delphi consensus.