title: [Patient-oriented multicentre research in surgery: the Surgical Trial Network (CHIR-Net)].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patient-oriented clinical research in surgery requires prospective randomised multicentre trials (mRCTs) to generate valid evidence. In order to conduct high quality mRCTs, a network of surgical clinical trial centres is necessary.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Surgical Trial Network (CHIR-Net), which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), was established as a structure of surgical regional centres. Currently, the CHIR-Net comprises 12 regional surgical centres with their associated clinical partner hospitals. The major aim of this network is to generate patient-relevant surgical questions of high clinical impact and to answer these questions in high-quality prospective randomised multicentre trials with well-trained study personnel.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Since 2006 32 mRCTs have been initiated in the CHIR-Net. Twelve surgical regional centres - in cooperation with 333 German and European hospitals - have recruited more than 7,500 patients. More than 80 surgeons have successfully completed the CHIR-Net educational curriculum for young surgeons.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CHIR-Net has successfully established a national clinical trial network to investigate surgical questions in randomised multicentre clinical trials. A nationwide research infrastructure, including university and non-university hospitals as well as the associated clinical coordination centres (KKS), was created to ensure patient-oriented surgical clinical research in a network at the highest methodological level thus implementing evidence-based medicine in daily surgical practice.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Allgemein-, Viszeral-, Gefäß- und Thoraxchirurgie, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Deutschland. Electronic address: Jens.Neudecker@charite.de.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neudecker
authors.affiliation: Studienzentrum der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Chirurgie, Koordinierungszentrale CHIR-Net, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Solveig
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tenckhoff
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Allgemein-, Viszeral- und Transplantationschirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: André L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Mihaljevic
mesh_terms: D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005858:Germany; D006284:Health Plan Implementation; D006801:Humans; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative
keywords: Chirurgische Forschung; Studiennetzwerk; Surgical research; evidence based surgery; evidenz-basierte Chirurgie; multicentre prospective randomised clinical trials; multizentrisch prospektiv randomisierte klinische Studien; study network