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Memorias del Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud

On-line version ISSN 1812-9528

Abstract

RIBOTTA, Bruno Sebastián. Ill-defined causes of death in the provinces of Argentina, 2001-2013. Mem. Inst. Investig. Cienc. Salud [online]. 2016, vol.14, n.3, pp.86-95. ISSN 1812-9528.  https://doi.org/10.18004/mem.iics/1812-9528/2016.014(03)86-095.

The objective was to analyze levels and trends in the percentage of deaths with ill-defined causes in the provinces of Argentina, during the years 2001-2013. This was a quantitative descriptive study. Database of death records from the Department of Health Statistics and Information was used. From the percentage of deaths with ill-defined causes, provinces were classified into four accuracy levels: high (<5%), good (≥ 5% <10%), regular (≥ 10% <20%) and low (≥ 20%). The relative distribution of deaths was analyzed according to the group of more frequent codes: symptoms and signs (R00-R69), abnormal clinical and laboratory findings (R70-R94) and ill-defined and unknown causes of death (R95-R99). Time trend was established with the relative variation. Eleven provinces had an excellent level of accuracy, five provinces had a very good level of accuracy and eight provinces had a good level of accuracy. In all jurisdictions, the most common codes were the unknown or ill-defined causes, although they were proportionally less important in the provinces with high accuracy. Besides, the most significant reductions were observed in this group. Only two provinces with intermediate levels showed the same pattern. The analysis of the ill-defined causes of death identified the most basic problems in the information, and provided valid evidence to guide future research. It is interesting to analyze the good practices that have been implemented by the provinces that are less affected by this problem.

Keywords : Vital Statistics; death records; cause of death; ill-defined cause of death; data quality; Argentina.

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