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Journal of Registry Management 2023The National Mortality Register (NMR) of Panama is a key element in demographic analysis and in acquiring an updated picture of population health in Panama. The main...
INTRODUCTION
The National Mortality Register (NMR) of Panama is a key element in demographic analysis and in acquiring an updated picture of population health in Panama. The main objectives of this study are to characterize the NMR and to enumerate its strengths and weaknesses.
METHODS
We describe the history, processes, and structure of the Vital Statistics Section of the National Institute of Statistics and Census (the curator of the NMR database). In addition, we discuss publication punctuality, underregistration of the data, the proportion of registered deaths certified by medical doctors, and the top 5 causes of death according to the 80 groups of the . We also examine works derived from the register's data, from the first publication on its website (2002) until 2019.
RESULTS
The NMR procedures were described. The web reports of the NMR were performed with a delay of between 1 to 2 years. The underregistration of deaths in 2002-2019 was 14.7%, and the national yearly proportion of deaths certified by medical doctors was always above 90%. Hard-to-reach areas had higher underregistration proportions and fewer deaths certified by medical doctors. Information extracted from the NMR supports several national and international reports, geographic information systems, and studies. The most common causes of death between 2002 and 2019 were noncommunicable diseases.
CONCLUSIONS
The NMR is a robust official information system. However, hard-to-reach areas require improvement in terms of the NMR. The NMR is used for publishing official reports, writing studies, and updating reports on the current health status of Panama in a timely fashion following international guidelines.
Topics: Humans; Vital Statistics; Panama; Cause of Death
PubMed: 38504706
DOI: No ID Found -
Annals of Epidemiology Aug 2023Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have scrambled to set up data collection and dissemination pipelines for various online datasets. This study aims to... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have scrambled to set up data collection and dissemination pipelines for various online datasets. This study aims to evaluate the reliability of the preliminary COVID-19 mortality data from Serbia, which has been included in major COVID-19 databases and utilized for research purposes worldwide.
METHODS
Discrepancies between the preliminary mortality data and the final mortality data in Serbia were analyzed. The preliminary data were reported through an emergency-necessitated system, while the final data were generated by the regular vital statistics pipeline. We identified databases that include these data and conducted a literature review of articles that utilized them.
RESULTS
The number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Serbia, as reported preliminarily, does not align with the final death toll, which is more than three times higher. Our literature review identified at least 86 studies that were impacted by these problematic data.
CONCLUSIONS
We strongly advise researchers to disregard the preliminary COVID-19 mortality data from Serbia due to the significant discrepancies with the final data. We recommend validating any preliminary data using excess mortality if all-cause mortality data are available.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Mortality; Pandemics; Reproducibility of Results; Serbia
PubMed: 37196849
DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2023.05.006 -
Bulletin of the World Health... Sep 2019Bangladesh has no national system for registering deaths and determining their causes. As a result, policy-makers lack reliable and complete data to inform public health...
PROBLEM
Bangladesh has no national system for registering deaths and determining their causes. As a result, policy-makers lack reliable and complete data to inform public health decisions.
APPROACH
In 2016, the government of Bangladesh introduced a pilot project to strengthen the civil registration and vital statistics system and generate cause of death data in Kaliganj Upazila. Community-based health workers were trained to notify births and deaths to the civil registrar, and to conduct verbal autopsy interviews with family members of a deceased person. International experts in cause-of-death certification and coding trained master trainers on how to complete the international medical certificate of cause of death. These trainers then trained physicians and coders.
LOCAL SETTING
Kaliganj Upazila has an estimated population of 304 600, and 5600 births and 1550 deaths annually. Health assistants and family welfare assistants make regular visits to households to track certain health outcomes.
RELEVANT CHANGES
Following the start of the project in 2016, the number of births registered within 45 days rose from 873 to 4630 in 2018. The number of deaths registered within 45 days increased from 458 to 1404. During this period, health assistants conducted 7837 verbal autopsy interviews. Between January 2017 and December 2018, 105 master trainers and more than 7000 physicians were trained to complete the international medical certificate of cause of death and they completed more than 12 000 certificates.
LESSONS LEARNT
Training community-based health workers, physicians and coders were successful approaches to improve death registration completeness and availability of cause-of-death data.
Topics: Bangladesh; Birth Certificates; Cause of Death; Death Certificates; Humans; Pilot Projects; Registries; Vital Statistics
PubMed: 31474777
DOI: 10.2471/BLT.18.219162 -
Clinical Medicine & Research Jun 2015Death certificates serve the critical functions of providing documentation for legal/administrative purposes and vital statistics for epidemiologic/health policy... (Review)
Review
Death certificates serve the critical functions of providing documentation for legal/administrative purposes and vital statistics for epidemiologic/health policy purposes. In order to satisfy these functions, it is important that death certificates be filled out completely, accurately, and promptly. The high error rate in death certification has been documented in multiple prior studies, as has the effectiveness of educational training interventions at mitigating errors. The following guide to death certification is intended to illustrate some basic principles and common pitfalls in electronic death registration with the goal of improving death certification accuracy.
Topics: Cause of Death; Death Certificates; Humans; Medical Errors; Medical Records Systems, Computerized; Registries; United States; Vital Statistics
PubMed: 26185270
DOI: 10.3121/cmr.2015.1276 -
BMC Public Health Dec 2022Despite the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system in Nepal operating for several decades, it has not been used to produce routine mortality statistics....
BACKGROUND
Despite the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system in Nepal operating for several decades, it has not been used to produce routine mortality statistics. Instead, mortality statistics rely on irregular surveys and censuses that primarily focus on child mortality. To fill this knowledge gap, this study estimates levels and subnational differentials in mortality across all ages in Nepal, primarily using CRVS data adjusted for incompleteness.
METHODS
We analyzed death registration data (offline or paper-based) and CRVS survey reported death data, estimating the true crude death rate (CDR) and number of deaths by sex and year for each province and ecological belt. The estimated true number of deaths for 2017 was used with an extension of the empirical completeness method to estimate the adult mortality (45q15) and life expectancy at birth by sex and subnational level. Plausibility of subnational mortality estimates was assessed against poverty head count rates.
RESULTS
Adult mortality in Nepal for 2017 is estimated to be 159 per 1000 for males and 116 for females, while life expectancy was estimated as 69.7 years for males and 73.9 years for females. Subnationally, male adult mortality ranges from 129 per 1000 in Madhesh to 224 in Karnali and female adult mortality from 89 per 1000 in Province 1 to 159 in Sudurpashchim. Similarly, male life expectancy is between 64.9 years in Karnali and 71.8 years in Madhesh and female male life expectancy between 69.6 years in Sudurpashchim and 77.0 years in Province 1. Mountain ecological belt and Sudurpashchim and Karnali provinces have high mortality and high poverty levels, whereas Terai and Hill ecological belts and Province 1, Madhesh, and Bagmati and Gandaki provinces have low mortality and poverty levels.
CONCLUSIONS
This is the first use of CRVS system data in Nepal to estimate national and subnational mortality levels and differentials. The national results are plausible when compared with Global Burden of Disease and United Nations World Population Prospects estimates. Understanding of the reasons for inequalities in mortality in Nepal should focus on improving cause of death data and further strengthening CRVS data.
Topics: Adult; Child; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Male; Censuses; Life Expectancy; Nepal; Mortality
PubMed: 36463132
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14638-z -
Bulletin of the World Health... Oct 2023To evaluate the precision and dependability of road traffic mortality data recorded in the World Health Organization Mortality Database and investigate how uncorrected...
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the precision and dependability of road traffic mortality data recorded in the World Health Organization Mortality Database and investigate how uncorrected data influence vital mortality statistics used in traffic safety programmes worldwide.
METHODS
We assessed country and territory-specific data quality from 2015 to 2020 by calculating the proportions of five types of nonspecific cause of death codes related to road traffic mortality. We compared age-adjusted road traffic mortality and changes in the average annual mortality rate before and after correcting the deaths with nonspecific codes. We generated road traffic mortality projections with both corrected and uncorrected codes, and redistributed the data using the proportionate method.
FINDINGS
We analysed data from 124 countries and territories with at least one year of mortality data from 2015 to 2020. The number of countries and territories reporting more than 20% of deaths with ill-defined or unknown cause was 2; countries reporting injury deaths with undetermined intent was 3; countries reporting unspecified unintentional injury deaths was 21; countries reporting unspecified transport crash deaths was 3; and countries reporting unspecified unintentional road traffic deaths was 30. After redistributing deaths with nonspecific codes, road traffic mortality changed by greater than 50% in 7% (5/73) to 18% (9/51) of countries and territories.
CONCLUSION
Nonspecific codes led to inaccurate mortality estimates in many countries. We recommend that injury researchers and policy-makers acknowledge the potential pitfalls of relying on raw or uncorrected road traffic mortality data and instead use corrected data to ensure more accurate estimates when improving road traffic safety programmes.
Topics: Humans; Accidents, Traffic; Vital Statistics; Databases, Factual; World Health Organization; Records; Wounds and Injuries
PubMed: 37772197
DOI: 10.2471/BLT.23.289683 -
BMC Medicine Mar 2020Globally, an estimated two-thirds of all deaths occur in the community, the majority of which are not attended by a physician and remain unregistered. Identifying and...
BACKGROUND
Globally, an estimated two-thirds of all deaths occur in the community, the majority of which are not attended by a physician and remain unregistered. Identifying and registering these deaths in civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems, and ascertaining the cause of death, is thus a critical challenge to ensure that policy benefits from reliable evidence on mortality levels and patterns in populations. In contrast to traditional processes for registration, death notification can be faster and more efficient at informing responsible government agencies about the event and at triggering a verbal autopsy for ascertaining cause of death. Thus, innovative approaches to death notification, tailored to suit the setting, can improve the availability and quality of information on community deaths in CRVS systems.
IMPROVING THE NOTIFICATION OF COMMUNITY DEATHS
Here, we present case studies in four countries (Bangladesh, Colombia, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea) that were part of the initial phases of the Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative at the University of Melbourne, each of which faces unique challenges to community death registration. The approaches taken promote improved notification of community deaths through a combination of interventions, including integration with the health sector, using various notifying agents and methods, and the application of information and communication technologies. One key factor for success has been the smoothing of processes linking notification, registration and initiation of a verbal autopsy interview. The processes implemented champion more active notification systems in relation to the passive systems commonly in place in these countries.
CONCLUSIONS
The case studies demonstrate the significant potential for improving death reporting through the implementation of notification practices tailored to a country's specific circumstances, including geography, cultural factors, structure of the existing CRVS system, and available human, information and communication technology resources. Strategic deployment of some, or all, of these innovations can result in rapid improvements to death notification systems and should be trialled in other settings.
Topics: Autopsy; Bangladesh; Cause of Death; Colombia; Data Collection; Hospitals; Humans; Myanmar; Papua New Guinea; Vital Statistics
PubMed: 32146904
DOI: 10.1186/s12916-020-01524-x -
MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly... Dec 2023The suicide rate among the U.S. working-age population has increased approximately 33% during the last 2 decades. To guide suicide prevention strategies, CDC analyzed...
The suicide rate among the U.S. working-age population has increased approximately 33% during the last 2 decades. To guide suicide prevention strategies, CDC analyzed suicide deaths by industry and occupation in 49 states, using data from the 2021 National Vital Statistics System. Industry (the business activity of a person's employer or, if self-employed, their own business) and occupation (a person's job or the type of work they do) are distinct ways to categorize employment. The overall suicide rates by sex in the civilian noninstitutionalized working population were 32.0 per 100,000 among males and 8.0 per 100,000 among females. Major industry groups with the highest suicide rates included Mining (males = 72.0); Construction (males = 56.0; females = 10.4); Other Services (e.g., automotive repair; males = 50.6; females = 10.4); Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (males = 47.9; females = 15.0); and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting (males = 47.9). Major occupation groups with the highest suicide rates included Construction and Extraction (males = 65.6; females = 25.3); Farming, Fishing, and Forestry (e.g., agricultural workers; males = 49.9); Personal Care and Service (males = 47.1; females = 15.9); Installation, Maintenance, and Repair (males = 46.0; females = 26.6); and Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media (males = 44.5; females = 14.1). By integrating recommended programs, practices, and training into existing policies, workplaces can be important settings for suicide prevention. CDC provides evidence-based suicide prevention strategies in its Suicide Prevention Resource for Action and Critical Steps Your Workplace Can Take Today to Prevent Suicide, NIOSH Science Blog.
Topics: Male; Female; Humans; United States; Industry; Occupations; Suicide; Workplace; Vital Statistics
PubMed: 38096122
DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7250a2 -
NCHS Data Brief Mar 2022In 2020, suicide was the 12th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States, changing from the 10th leading cause in 2019 due to the emergence of COVID-19...
In 2020, suicide was the 12th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States, changing from the 10th leading cause in 2019 due to the emergence of COVID-19 deaths and increases in deaths from chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (1). As the second leading cause of death in people aged 10-34 and the fifth leading cause in people aged 35-54, suicide is a major contributor to premature mortality (1). Suicide rates increased from 2000 to 2018 (2-5), but recent data have shown declines between 2018 and 2020 (6,7). This report presents final suicide rates from 2000 through 2020, in total and by sex, age group, and means of suicide, using mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). This report updates a provisional 2020 report and a previous report with final data through 2019 (6,7).
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; COVID-19; Cause of Death; Child; Humans; Middle Aged; Suicide; United States; Young Adult
PubMed: 35312475
DOI: No ID Found -
National Vital Statistics Reports :... Jun 2019Objectives-This report presents final 2017 data on U.S. deaths, death rates, life expectancy, infant mortality, and trends, by selected characteristics such as age, sex,...
Objectives-This report presents final 2017 data on U.S. deaths, death rates, life expectancy, infant mortality, and trends, by selected characteristics such as age, sex, Hispanic origin and race, state of residence, and cause of death. Methods-Information reported on death certificates is presented in descriptive tabulations. The original records are filed in state registration offices. Statistical information is compiled in a national database through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program of the National Center for Health Statistics. Causes of death are processed in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision. Results-In 2017, a total of 2,813,503 deaths were reported in the United States. The age-adjusted death rate was 731.9 deaths per 100,000 U.S. standard population, an increase of 0.4% from the 2016 rate. Life expectancy at birth was 78.6 years, a decrease of 0.1 year from the 2016 rate. Life expectancy decreased from 2016 to 2017 for non-Hispanic white males (0.1 year) and non-Hispanic black males (0.1), and increased for non- Hispanic black females (0.1). Age-specific death rates increased in 2017 from 2016 for age groups 25-34, 35-44, and 85 and over, and decreased for age groups under 1 and 45-54. The 15 leading causes of death in 2017 remained the same as in 2016 although, two causes exchanged ranks. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, the 12th leading cause of death in 2016, became the 11th leading cause of death in 2017, while Septicemia, the 11th leading cause of death in 2016, became the 12th leading cause of death in 2017. The infant mortality rate, 5.79 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2017, did not change significantly from the rate of 5.87 in 2016. Conclusions-The age-adjusted death rate for the total, male, and female populations increased from 2016 to 2017 and life expectancy at birth decreased in 2017 for the total and male populations.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cause of Death; Child; Child, Preschool; Ethnicity; Female; Hispanic or Latino; Humans; Infant; Infant Mortality; Infant, Newborn; Life Expectancy; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality; Residence Characteristics; Sex Distribution; United States; Vital Statistics; Young Adult
PubMed: 32501199
DOI: No ID Found