Abstract

ABOS, Rafael et al. A pilot program to improve causes of death certification in primary care of Catalonia, Spain. Gac Sanit [online]. 2006, vol.20, n.6, pp.450-456. ISSN 0213-9111.

Objective: The BEDTAR pilot program assessed changes in the quality of certification of death's causes after a training session for the primary care physicians in the Tarragona's Area of Catalonia, in the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. Design: Before-after evaluative study with intervention and without control group. Setting and participants: The study population was the physicians of the reformed primary health care network of the AT. Material and methods: The training session began with a test consisting of certifying 3 deaths. This test was followed by a theoretical and practical seminar. The session concluded with a final test consisting on certifying the same 3 cases. The variables used to evaluate the quality the certification were: logical sequence the death causes, correct position on death certificate of the immediate, intermediate and basic causes, precise use of cardiac arrest and other ill-defined diseases, appropriate use of abbreviations, legibility, vocabulary and, finally, use of all the available information. Results: The final participation of the study population was 71% and the global program efficacy was 59%. Conclusions: The BEDTAR program improved the quality of certification and emphasized the relevancy and the applicability of the results.

Keywords : Cause of death; Certification; Design before-after; Evaluation; Mortality.

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