Abstract

A death certificate is an important public health surveillance tool that affects the quality of morbidity and mortality statistics. This systematic review examines death certification in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, uncovers the methodological qualities of published studies, the common errors committed by certifiers, and physicians’ knowledge in filling out death certificates. We searched three databases, finding 19 studies, the majority of which reported errors in the underlying cause of death. Fewer than 25% of physicians reported training on filling out death certificates. Complexity of the cases and lack of training were reported as common difficulties facing physicians leading to errors.

摘要

死亡证明是影响发病率和死亡率统计质量的重要公共卫生监测工具。本系统评价检查了东地中海地区的死亡证明，揭示了已发表研究的方法学质量、证明者所犯的常见错误以及医生填写死亡证明的知识。我们搜索了三个数据库，发现了 19 项研究，其中大多数报告了根本死因的错误。不到 25% 的医生报告了填写死亡证明的培训。据报道，病例的复杂性和缺乏培训是医生面临导致错误的常见困难。