OBJECTIVES: Health Technology Assessment groups suggest that registries designed for the purpose of collecting patient data on resource use and outcomes are a relevant supplement to data collected in randomized controlled clinical trials because they reflect a routine clinical care setting and enable considered treatment decisions and healthcare resource allocation to be made (www.nice.org). The Electronic Schizophrenia Treatment Adherence Registry (e–STAR) is a non-interventional, international registry designed to evaluate medication usage and long-term clinical outcomes in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder undergoing a change in antipsychotic medication in a naturalistic setting. METHODS: In- or out-patients who start a new antipsychotic medication during the course of their routine clinical management are eligible for enrolment in the e–STAR project. Data are collected through an innovative Electronic Data Capture system and transmitted to the registry at baseline — the time of switch to the new medication — and every 3 months for the following 24 months. Data are also collected retrospectively for the 12 months preceding baseline. A secure website is used, which anonymises data and conducts automated data quality checks before being transmitted to the registry. Patient data on demographics, treatment and hospitalisation history, and clinical outcomes are collected. RESULTS: Changes in clinical and other outcome measures following a switch to the new medication will enable clinicians — and other decision makers — to evaluate the effectiveness and utility of the treatment switch in a routine clinical care setting by identifying optimal outcome patterns in defined cohorts of patients. CONCLUSION: To date, 6 countries are participating in the e–STAR project, which aims to enroll at least 5000 patients. This paper decribes the logistics of the project.