Page 51 - Demo

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Certification of Coroners’ cases by pathologists would improve the completeness of death registration in Jamaica
Civil registration and vital statistics
An effective Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system records all vital events including births, stillbirths and deaths. Death registration is a cornerstone of epidemiology. It: describes the natural history of diseases in a population; guides public health policy, planning and resource allocation; monitors interventions; and measures development indicators, such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Data quality is impacted by proper certification, registration delays and accurate coding. In 2009, the World Health Organisation (WHO) classified Jamaica’s mortality data as “of limited use”. A high quality system reports 90-100% of deaths, coded - using International Classification of Diseases guidelines (ICD10) - with fewer than 10% attributed to ill-defined conditions. In contrast to Jamaica, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas were assessed as providing high quality data.
While Jamaican birth registration is complete (90-94% registered), a 1998 study found that just 89% of deaths had been registered, with under-reporting higher for children 0-4 years, adults 15-44 years and maternal deaths. The 2009 poor rating by WHO suggested the need to re-examine Jamaica’s position.
In 2015, the RGD added physician’s registration numbers to the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) and revised the pregnancy check box to objectively identify certifiers, and improve notation of maternal deaths.
Recognising Outstanding Researchers 2016