Defects and deficiencies of death certificates (graves registration)

Abstract

In case of death, even one of professional, ethics and legal liabilities of physicians is examination of body and arrangement of death certificate. In medical practice, determination of death reason and declaration in a appropriate way is important even as diagnose and treatment. A lot of information useful for planning of health politics may be reached by data of these documents as from most frequent death causing diseases to most frequent death age interval. Aim of this descriptive study is to research and determine defects and deficiencies of death certificates certificates of cases that occurred and documented within Ondokuz Mayis University faculty of medicine, research hospital in 2004 except judicial cases. Among total 1410 death certificate arranged, except 3 (0.2%) non-enrolled sexuality, cases are determined as 782 (55.5%) male, 625 (44.3%) female, most frequently (10.4%) on January and least (7.4%) on November. Median age was 61 (0-104) years and majority (62.8%) were residing in Samsun. Most frequently determined defects of certificates were deficiency of physician signature (37.3%) and physician name (28.7%). As a result of study, it is seen that defects and deficiencies of death certificates arrenged by physicians are not negligible. Importance of death certificates must be more pronounced on faculty and post graduate educations to avoid legal sanctions for physicians and to yield more realistic results of death statistics that has important functions on health planning.