Death Certificate Surveillance: A Component of Death Investigation

Abstract

Introduction

Medical examiners/coroners serve various functions beyond the medicolegal framework, including making contributions to public safety and health. In order to effectively fulfill this role, it is essential to ensure accurate certification of each death.

Materials and Methods

In Vermont, the Department of Health, Vital Records Division has developed a death certificate surveillance program in which all registered deaths are reviewed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). A death certificate is fagged by the OCME for further investigation when cause and manner of death statements are incomplete, erroneous, or suggest the possibility of an unnatural death. If necessary, after review, death certificates are amended. Death Certificate Review (DCR) cases between 2008 and 2011 were retrieved from the OCME database. Data were evaluated for amendments of cause and manner of death.

Results

The OCME reviewed all death certificates and further investigated 4.4% and amended 3.3% of all death certificates in Vermont between the years 2008–2011. Eighty-eight percent of the amended DCRs were for cause of death statements and 10% resulted in change of manner. For the latter, change from natural to accident was most frequent.

Conclusions

Death certificates are a major source of epidemiologic data. Ensuring complete and accurate death certification through death certificate surveillance is a small but significant contribution of the OCME to public health.