Table 3.
Classification of types of error in cause of death statement of death certificate
| Parts of cause of death statement | Types of errors | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Part I Immediate Cause of Death (ICOD) | Not listed | |
| Inappropriate information | Incorrectly attributed/Trivial conditions | |
| aMechanism of Death (terminal events) | Such as asystole, cardiac arrest, cardiopulmonary arrest, cardiorespiratory arrest, electromechanical dissociation, respiratory arrest, ventricular fibrillation. | |
| aMechanism of Death (nonspecific physiologic derangements) | Such as arrhythmia, coagulopathy, congestive heart failure, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatic failure, hypotension, ketoacidosis, multi-organ failure, pneumothorax, pulmonary insufficiency, renal failure, sepsis, shock. | |
| aNonspecific anatomic processes | Such as anoxic encephalopathy, bowel obstruction, cirrhosis, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, hemothorax, peritonitis, pulmonary embolism, subarachnoid hemorrhage, subdural hematoma. | |
| aSymptoms, signs, abnormal clinical and laboratory findings | Such as headache, chest pain, dyspnea, asterixis, pain abdomen, hyperkalemia, hypercalcemia | |
| Part I Underlying Cause of Death (UCOD) | bNot listed | |
| Inappropriate information | Incorrectly attributed/Trivial conditions | |
| Incomplete information | Ill-defined conditions, unspecific and incomplete description of known specific conditions such as neoplasms, infectious diseases, injuries, external causes of death | |
| More than 1 competing UCOD | 2 or more unrelated conditions listed | |
| Improper sequence | sequence of events doesn’t make sense, UCOD not listed on the lowest completed line of Part I | |
| Part II Other Significant Conditions (OSC) | Not listed | OSC present but not listed |
| Inappropriate information | Incorrectly attributed/Trivial conditions | |
| Incomplete information | not all the known significant conditions are listed |
aIll-defined conditions not followed by adequately explained UCOD
bICOD can be the sole entry in COD statement if that condition is the only condition causing death. In such a condition, it is not considered as an error if UCOD is not listed