Reasons to participate in European Society of Thoracic Surgeons database.

The process of data collection inevitably involves costs at various levels. Nevertheless, this effort is essential to base our knowledge and the consequent decision making on solid foundations. The European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) database collects a large amount of data on general thoracic surgery derived from about 60 units representative of 11 nations. Since its beginning in 2001, the ESTS database has contributed to increase the knowledge and the quality of care in our specialty. The present paper illustrates the ultimate finalities and the obtained results of this data collection, providing a broad overview of the motivations to participate to the ESTS database.