title: Test of an electronic program to query clinicians about nonspecific causes reported for pneumonia deaths, New York City, 2012.
abstract: We tested an electronic cause-of-death query system at a hospital in New York City to evaluate clinicians' reporting of cause of death. We used the system to query clinicians about all deaths assigned International Classification of Disease code J189 (pneumonia, unspecified) as the underlying cause of death. Of 29 death certificates that generated queries, 28 were updated with additional information, which led to revisions in the underlying cause of 27 deaths. The electronic system for querying reported cause of death was feasible and enabled quicker than usual responses; however, follow-up with clinicians to ensure timely, accurate, and complete responses was labor-intensive. Educating clinicians and enforcing reporting standards would reduce the time and effort required to ensure accurate and timely cause-of-death reporting.
authors.affiliation: Public Health/Preventive Medicine Residency Program, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Korin
authors.affiliation: Bureau of Vital Statistics, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 125 Worth Street, Room 204 CN-7, New York, NY 10013. Email: ann.madsen@me.com.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.affiliation: Bureau of Vital Statistics, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.affiliation: Bureau of Vital Statistics, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Begier
mesh_terms: D002423:Cause of Death; D059019:Clinical Coding / Q000592:standards*; D003644:Death Certificates; D006739:Hospital Administration; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000145:classification*