No abstract available.
Death Certificates* ; Korea*

There are several types of medical certificates and written expert opinions (or judicial reports) which medical doctors have to issue. Author summarized medicolegal demand on medical certificates and written expert opinions separately. Kinds and items of medical certificates were listed. And 10 cases of death certificate in Japan were introduced and analyzed. About judicial reports, definition and legal background as well as general principles of framing of judicial reports including preface, examination records, explanation of results and considerations, and judicial examination and signature were also mentioned.
Death Certificates ; Expert Testimony* ; Japan

Both death certificates and postmortem examination certificates are used as proof of death. These certificates sometimes contain erroneous information but how frequently they do so is unknown. In particular, only a few studies have measured the accuracy of the cause and manner of death on Korea death documents. In this study, we compared the cause and manner of death on both kinds of certificates with those on autopsy reports to determine the frequency of errors, and to identify way to improve the accuracy of these certificates. In 2012, 528 autopsies were requested of out institute, and certificates were submitted in 241 of the cases. The manner of death was classified as natural, unnatural, or unknown. The cause of death in the autopsy report matched that on the death certificate in 37 of 63 cases (58.7%), and the manner of death matched in 40 of 63 cases (63.5%). The cause of death in the autopsy report matched that on the postmortem examination certificate in 62 of 178 cases (34.8%), and the manner of death matched in 74 of 178 cases (41.6%). Death certificates and postmortem examination certificates are important documents. We identified many incorrect reports of causes and manners of death on both kinds of documents, especially the postmortem death certificates. These inaccuracies are presumably due to a lack of forensic information and education, as well as lack of interest on the part of medical doctors.
Autopsy* ; Cause of Death ; Death Certificates* ; Education ; Korea

This study aimed to analyze the errors and their causes in inappropriately completed death certificates, and to suggest improvement measures. The death certificate is an important medical document that proves the cause and manner of death. However, a death certificate is not as valuable as a medical document, since many death certificates are inappropriately completed and thus provide inaccurate information. We reviewed 307 death certificates issued by the Emergency Room of Chung Nam National University Hospital between January 1, 2015, and November 31, 2016, and compared their details with the cause and manner of death in the patients' medical records. Among various errors, the most common was “omission of other significant information not related to the cause of death” (184 cases). On 29 death certificates, the mechanism of death was recorded instead of the cause of death. When comparing death certificates and medical records, discrepancies in the cause and manner of death were found in 13 (4.2%) and 17 (5.5%) cases respectively. Although the contents of a death certificate may vary according to a physician's point of view, multiple errors on death certificates should be avoided, and we suggest necessary improvement measures.
Cause of Death ; Death Certificates* ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Medical Records

The postmortem examination certificate and death certificate provide proof of death and supply important data used to establish health statistics. However, the format of the form and the accuracy of postmortem examination and death certificates yield errors that must be corrected by comparison with postmortem studies. We reviewed 401 autopsies performed in the Department of Forensic Medicine of Chonnam National University Medical School from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2011 and compared the reports with their postmortem examination certificates and death certificates. Of the 252 cases submitted with death certifications, 60 cases were concordant with the cause of death on the autopsy report. Eighty-nine cases had clear descriptions of the cause of death. Of these cases, 47 were from postmortem examination, 42 were from death certificates; 17 were natural deaths, 72 were unnatural. Concordance in each group was 59.6% (28/47 cases), 76.2% (32/42 cases), 41.2% (7/17 cases), and 73.6% (53/72 cases). We thus identified various types of errors in postmortem examination and death certificates. This study reveals a high rate of discrepancy between causes of death reported on death certificates and postmortem examination certificates. There are a few useful death certificate and postmortem examination certificates that can be used as a model, based on which we propose several remedies to increase the accuracy of death and postmortem examination certificates.
Autopsy ; Cause of Death ; Certification ; Death Certificates ; Forensic Medicine ; Schools, Medical

PURPOSE: In order to examine the accuracy of death statistics, the present study compared the underlying causes of death on death certificates with the underlying causes of death published by the National Statistical Office. METHODS: A retrospective survey was performed comparing death certificates issued by a university hospital for one year in 2003, the dead patients' medical records, and death statistics for 2003 published by the National Statistical Office. We compared the underlying causes of death on death certificates, the underlying cause of death as classified by the National Statistical Office, and the underlying causes of death in medical records, in order to analyze their degree of coincidence and the causes of any inconsiste RESULTS: The inconsistency rate between the underlying causes of death as listed on death certificates and the underlying causes of death in the published statistics was 26%. The most frequent reason for discrepancies was a switch from one diagnosis name to another (58.7%), and the next most frequent was a change from the general categories of death due to old age or unknown cause to a diagnosis name (41.3%). The inconsistency rate between the actual underlying causes of death and the underlying causes of death on death certificates was 18.9%, with the most frequent reason for inconsistency being the recording of an uncertain cause of death such as old age or unknown cause (53.3%), and next most frequent being the recording of an interim result as the underlying cause of death (38.7%). The inconsistency rate between the underlying causes of death in medical records and the underlying causes of death in statistics was 8.1%: the most frequent reason for inconsistency was a change to a diagnosis name irrelevant to the patient's underlying disease (60.9%). and next most frequent was a change of the patients' underlying disease to one that was not related to the patient's death (34.4%). The proportion of cases with concordance between the underlying cause of death on the death certificate and the actual underlying cause of death, but with discrepancy between the actual underlying cause of death and the underlying cause of death in statistics, was 6.2%. Inconsistency both between the underlying cause of death listed on the death certificate and the actual underlying cause of death and between actual underlying cause of death and the underlying cause of death published in statistics occurred in 11.3% of cases, marking a significant difference. CONCLUSION: The overall accuracy rate of statistics on the causes of death was 91.9%, and the concordance rate between the actual underlying causes of death and the underlying causes of death in published statistics was high whenever death certificates were issued listing the actual underlying causes of death.
Cause of Death ; Death Certificates ; Diagnosis ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to analyze the current problems in completing death certificates and to identify the correct method for completing death certificates. METHODS: We reviewed 262 death certificates in three hospitals from March 1 to April 30, 2000, and 119 death certificates in one hospital from March 1 to 31, 2000. We identified major and minor errors and analyzed and compared them retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 381 death certificates were reviewed: 59 in Seoul National University Hospital, 101 in Ewha Woman's University Hospital, and 102 in Gachon Medical College Hospital, which has no education program for completing death certificates in postgraduate training, and 119 in Samsung Medical Center which has an education program for completing death certificates. 358 certificates(94.0%) had at least one error. There were only 23 death certificates(6.0%) without an error. In 182 cases(47.8%), there was one major error. In 321 death certificates(84.3%), there were more than two errors. A comparison of Samsung Medical Center with the other hospitals showed that the number of total errors was statistically different(p=0.001). CONCLUSION: There were few death certificates without an error in this study. In a hospital which has postgraduate training in completing death certificates, there are fewer errors than in other hospitals which have no training course. Emergency physicians actually certify many deaths, so they must know the correct method of completing death certificates for statistics on morbidity and mortality.
Death Certificates* ; Education ; Emergencies ; Mortality ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul

PURPOSE: The incidence of childhood cancer in the Korea was studied to compare incidence rates between countries and between different regions in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A tatal of 2,891 cases, registered in the Natinal Cancer Registy from 1993 to 1995, were analysied. Death Certificate Only(DCO) cases were not included. DCO % was estimated about 22%. We calculated the incidence rates according to the International Classification of Childhood Cancer. The age-standardized rates by diagnostic group was compared with those of other countries. The total incidence of childhood cancer were compared among 34 cities in Korea with the rates in the rest of the nation. RESULTS: The crude incidence of all childhood cancer was 94.1 per million. The cumulative incidence to age 15 was 0.137% and the age-standardized rate, calculated using the world standard population, was 96.1 per million. In the incidence rates by diagnostic group, we observed many similarities with other countries in East Asia. The age-standardized rates of E, F and AL cities were significantly higher(p<0.05). In the 0-4 age group, F, AL and BB cities showed higher rates(p<0.05). In 5~9 years and 10~14 years, F city only had higher rates(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Further study will be needed in order to investigate possible environmental factors which may account for the regional variations.
Classification ; Death Certificates ; Far East ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Korea

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the weighting for the disability caused by major cancers in Korea using the Delphi method. METHODS: We selected 19 panelists to estimate the disability weighting of major cancers in Korea by using the Delphi method. To select the relevant kinds of cancers, we used National Death Certificate Data produced by the National Statistical Office in 1996. Then the stability of each delphi round was calculated by using the coefficient of variance. RESULTS: The disability weight of major cancers for males was pancreas cancer(0.36), liver cancer(0.35), esophageal cancer(0.30), stomach cancer(0.27), lung cancer(0.26), and colorectal cancer(0.30). The disability weight of major cancers for females was pancreas cancer(0.36), liver cancer(0.34), esophageal cancer(0.29), stomach cancer(0.28), lung cancer(0.26), and colorectal cancer(0.28). CONCLUSION: The results of this study will provide baseline data useful for the measurement of the burden of disease caused by cancers in Korea.
Death Certificates ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Liver ; Lung ; Male ; Pancreas ; Stomach

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the ability of completing death certificates among medical students. METHODS: The self-administered questionnaires were completed, during May to August 2007, by 380 medical students in senior. The questionnaire was composed of 10 cases to write the death certificate. The cause-of-deaths written by students were compared with the gold standards and their errors in the certificates also evaluated. RESULTS: Mean agreement score for 10 underlying cause-of-deaths completed on the lowest line of part I in the death certificate (UC1) was 4.8+/-1.7, and for underlying cause-of-death selected by a coder of the death certificates (UC2) was 5.6+/-1.5. The UC1 and UC2 were significantly higher among the students having the case-oriented education for death certificate than others. For the major errors in the certificates completed by students, the students having the error with no antecedent cause were highest, the error with two or more conditions secondly highest. Mean number of errors was significantly lower in the case-oriented education group than others. CONCLUSIONS: Errors are common in the death certificates completed by medical students in senior. The accuracy of death certification may be more improved with the case-oriented education than the traditional method.
Certification ; Death Certificates ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Students, Medical ; Surveys and Questionnaires