title: Improving mortality data in Jordan: a 10 year review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Before 2003 there was substantial underreporting of deaths in Jordan. The death notification form did not comply with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and information on the cause of death was often missing, incomplete or inaccurate.
  
  
  METHODS
  A new mortality surveillance system to determine the causes of death was implemented in 2003 and a unit for coding causes of death was established at the ministry of health.
  
  
  METHODS
  Jordan is a middle-income country with a population of 6.4 million people. Approximately 20 000 deaths were registered per year between 2005 and 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2001, the ministry of health organized the first meeting on Jordan's mortality system, which yielded a five-point plan to improve mortality statistics. Using the recommendations produced from this meeting, in 2003 the ministry of health initiated a mortality statistics improvement project in collaboration with international partners. Jordan has continued to improve its mortality reporting system, with annual reporting since 2004. Reports are based on more than 70% of reported deaths. The quality of cause-of-death information has improved, with only about 6% of deaths allocated to symptoms and ill-defined conditions - a substantial decrease from the percentage before 2001 (40%). Mortality information is now submitted to WHO following international standards.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After 10 years of mortality surveillance in Jordan, the reporting has improved and the information has been used by various health programmes throughout Jordan.
authors.affiliation: Directorate of Information and Research, Ministry of Health, Amman, Jordan .
authors.forename: Faris
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dababneh
authors.affiliation: National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Public Health Service, Hyattsville, United States of America (USA).
authors.forename: Erin K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Nichols
authors.affiliation: Directorate of Information and Research, Ministry of Health, Amman, Jordan .
authors.forename: Majed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asad
authors.affiliation: Directorate of Information and Research, Ministry of Health, Amman, Jordan .
authors.forename: Yousef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Haddad
authors.affiliation: National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Public Health Service, Hyattsville, United States of America (USA).
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Notzon
authors.affiliation: National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Public Health Service, Hyattsville, United States of America (USA).
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anderson