Background: Errors in pediatric death certificates (DCs) are rarely reported. We analyzed the errors in the pediatric DC issued by an emergency department (ED).
Methods: The DCs issued at the ED to patients below the age of 18 years were retrospectively analyzed. Major and minor errors in the DC were investigated based on the WHO International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) guidelines and evaluated based on the review of the medical records by four emergency physicians. Manner of death was classified into disease (disease group) and external causes (external group) and that two groups were compared.
Results: Among the 87 cases of DCs issued by the ED, 98% of errors were confirmed in the disease group and 100% in the external group. The total number of errors in the analyzed DC was 2.3 in the disease group and 3.3 in the external group. Blank space in the cause of death (COD) or duplicated COD (18%) were most common major error in the disease group and two or more causes in a single line of COD (36%) in the external group. Among minor errors, the cases without a time interval record for the COD were the most common in 37 cases (93%) and 42 cases (89%) of the two groups, respectively.
Conclusion: One or more errors were identified in 99% of pediatric DCs issued by ED, and the total number of errors was higher in the external group than in the disease group.
Trial registration: none