ANALYSIS OF ERRORS IN COMPLETING DEATH CERTIFICATES AT HOSPITAL GERAL VALE DO ITAJAÍ

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to analyze the declarations that present inadequate completion, seeking to identify the most common types of errors in the completion of causes of death in a General Hospital in Vale do Itajaí, in addition to clarifying the importance of correct completion.

METHOD: A total of 507 death certificates were analyzed, completed from January to December 2022 at a General Hospital in Vale do Itajaí. The study consists of a descriptive quantitative research, seeking to understand errors and difficulties encountered by physicians in filling out death certificates at the Hospital. All death certificates filled out during the period were included, and certificates of deaths occurring at home were excluded. After analyzing the data extracted from the hospital's death committee, the data were organized in Excel spreadsheets and analyzed in graphs using the variants necessary for the study.

RESULTS: A total of 299 (58.9%) declarations were found to be correctly filled out and 208 (41.1%) were found to have some type of discrepancy with the Ministry of Health's Death Certificate Filling Manual. Among the statements that presented some type of error, 51.7% of them had only 1 type of error and 48.3% had more than 1 concomitant error. The study shows that the most common type of error was lack of nexus and wrong order, appearing in 49 (9.7%) statements. Of all the statements analyzed, 48.3% had more than 1 error in filling them out, and the most common reason for the error was lack of nexus and wrong order, followed by 32 (6.3%) statements that presented syndromic diagnosis as the underlying cause of death, for example, multiple organ dysfunction and/or cardiac arrest.

CONCLUSION: It was possible to identify that the prevalence of inadequately filled out declarations is quite expressive, totaling 41.1% of the total, showing that the most common type of error was lack of nexus and wrong order, appearing in 49 (9.7%) declarations.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56238/sevened2024.041-047