Common errors in the completion of death certificates in teaching hospitals in northern Iran: A legal challenge

IF 1.2 4区医学 Q3 MEDICINE, LEGAL

Journal of forensic and legal medicine Pub Date : 2024-10-18 DOI:10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102779

Seyed Mehran Razavipour , Seyed Khosro Ghasempouri , Navid Khosravi Kochaksaraei , Zakaria Zakariaei , Ashkan Ahodashti

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

The proper completion of death certificates (DCs) is of paramount importance for physicians, as they serve as vital medico-legal documents. The information contained within these certificates holds great significance in health statistics, as it serves as a crucial tool for epidemiological research and analysis.

Methods

This study comprises a descriptive cross-sectional analysis of all DCs issued in 2019 for approximately 1104 deceased patients at a teaching hospital in Mazandaran Province, in northern Iran. To conduct this research, a checklist was implemented, which contained comprehensive categories, including essential public information, and the primary and underlying causes of death (UCOD).

Results

The results of this study indicate that out of the 618 cases of deceased individuals, 273 (44.2 %) were women and 345 (55.8 %) were men. Notably, a total of 61 cases (9.9 %) exhibited an error in the writing of the primary cause of death (COD). Specifically, the UCOD was erroneously recorded as cardio-pulmonary arrest in 13.2 % of all DCs, thus resulting in an error in the main COD.

Conclusion

The findings of this study disclosed a high incidence of errors in the completion of DCs, particularly in the determination of the UCOD, which is universally recognized as the most critical aspect of these documents.

查看原文本刊更多论文

伊朗北部教学医院在填写死亡证明时的常见错误：法律挑战。

背景：正确填写死亡证明书（DC）对医生来说至关重要，因为它们是重要的医学法律文件。这些证书中包含的信息在卫生统计中具有重要意义，因为它是流行病学研究和分析的重要工具：本研究对伊朗北部马赞达兰省一家教学医院 2019 年为约 1104 名死亡患者签发的所有 DC 进行了描述性横断面分析。为了开展这项研究，我们采用了一份核对表，其中包含全面的分类，包括基本公共信息、主要死因和潜在死因（UCOD）：研究结果表明，在 618 例死者中，273 例（44.2%）为女性，345 例（55.8%）为男性。值得注意的是，共有 61 例（9.9%）在书写主要死因（COD）时出现错误。具体来说，在所有 DC 中，13.2% 的 UCOD 被错误地记录为心肺骤停，从而导致主要死因出现错误：这项研究的结果表明，在填写 DC 时出错率很高，尤其是在确定 UCOD 时，而 UCOD 是公认的这些文件中最关键的部分。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of forensic and legal medicine MEDICINE, LEGAL-

CiteScore

2.70

自引率

6.70%

发文量

106

审稿时长

57 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine publishes topical articles on aspects of forensic and legal medicine. Specifically the Journal supports research that explores the medical principles of care and forensic assessment of individuals, whether adult or child, in contact with the judicial system. It is a fully peer-review hybrid journal with a broad international perspective. The Journal accepts submissions of original research, review articles, and pertinent case studies, editorials, and commentaries in relevant areas of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Context of Practice, and Education and Training. The Journal adheres to strict publication ethical guidelines, and actively supports a culture of inclusive and representative publication.