title: Use of Death Records to Augment Notifiable Conditions Reporting in Washington State.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health care providers are required to report newly diagnosed notifiable conditions including the case's vital status according to state regulations, but it is uncertain how many cases remain unreported. Death certificates could potentially serve as a data source for detecting unreported deaths due to notifiable conditions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to evaluate the usefulness of electronic death records to augment notifiable conditions reporting in Washington State.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  All residents of Washington State.
  
  
  METHODS
  Decedents from 2010-2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total number of fatal cases of acute infectious notifiable conditions in Washington residents estimated by capture-recapture analysis, proportion of estimated fatal cases reported to Washington's notifiable conditions database (Public Health Issue Management System [PHIMS]), and the proportion of estimated fatal cases identified solely from the death records. Information was obtained by searching multiple cause-of death fields on 2010-2012 death records for keywords for acute infectious notifiable conditions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Capture-recapture analysis estimated 317 fatal cases of these conditions could be expected over the 3 years studied (95% CI: 276,358). Public Health Issue Management System alone identified 38% of total estimated cases; using PHIMS and death record data increased identification to 71%. Electronic filing of death records was very timely, with a median of 4 days to visibility. Death record data were highly complete.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of death records will augment the notifiable condition reporting system and potentially improve mortality estimates and disease control.
authors.affiliation: Office of Communicable Disease Epidemiology, Washington State Department of Health, Shoreline.
authors.forename: Hanna N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Oltean
authors.forename: Charla A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: DeBolt
authors.forename: Marcia J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Goldoft
authors.forename: Kathryn H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lofy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003644:Death Certificates; D018563:Disease Notification / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014861:Washington / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult