TY - JOUR
T1 - Reporting of incorrect cause-of-death causal sequence on death certificates in the USA
T2 - Using hypertension and diabetes as an educational illustration
AU - Cheng, Tain Junn
AU - Lin, Ching Yih
AU - Lu, Tsung Hsueh
AU - Kawachi, Ichiro
PY - 2012/12
Y1 - 2012/12
N2 - Background: Little is known about the extent of reporting an incorrect cause-of-death (COD) causal sequence on death certificates. Objective: To determine the frequency of incorrect reporting of hypertension as cause of diabetes on death certificates in the USA. Methods: Multiple-cause mortality files were used to identify death certificates which mentioned both hypertension and diabetes in the USA from 1985 to 2005. The frequency of reporting hypertension on the line below diabetes in part I of the death certificate was calculated. Results: The percentage of cases in which both hypertension and diabetes were included in part I of the death certificate, in which hypertension was reported on the line below diabetes on the death certificate-that is, suggesting that hypertension was a cause of diabetes- increased from 15.5% in 1985 to 36.1% in 2000 and 38.2% in 2005. Conclusions: The frequency of reporting of an incorrect COD causal sequence on death certificates in the USA has increased. Education, training and questioning the opinions of certifying physicians are needed to improve the quality of reporting of COD statements.
AB - Background: Little is known about the extent of reporting an incorrect cause-of-death (COD) causal sequence on death certificates. Objective: To determine the frequency of incorrect reporting of hypertension as cause of diabetes on death certificates in the USA. Methods: Multiple-cause mortality files were used to identify death certificates which mentioned both hypertension and diabetes in the USA from 1985 to 2005. The frequency of reporting hypertension on the line below diabetes in part I of the death certificate was calculated. Results: The percentage of cases in which both hypertension and diabetes were included in part I of the death certificate, in which hypertension was reported on the line below diabetes on the death certificate-that is, suggesting that hypertension was a cause of diabetes- increased from 15.5% in 1985 to 36.1% in 2000 and 38.2% in 2005. Conclusions: The frequency of reporting of an incorrect COD causal sequence on death certificates in the USA has increased. Education, training and questioning the opinions of certifying physicians are needed to improve the quality of reporting of COD statements.
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U2 - 10.1136/postgradmedj-2012-130912
DO - 10.1136/postgradmedj-2012-130912
M3 - Article
C2 - 22991477
AN - SCOPUS:84870537720
VL - 88
SP - 690
EP - 693
JO - Postgraduate Medical Journal
JF - Postgraduate Medical Journal
SN - 0032-5473
IS - 1046
ER -