Documentation status of death certificates in surgical intensive care unit of selected teaching hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

The present study examines the status of documenting the death certificate in the intensive care unit of the selected hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.

This applied research was conducted by combining quantitative and qualitative methods in four stages. At first, the death certificate checklist was created by reviewing the relevant literature and its validity and reliability were assessed. The death certificates issued in the surgical intensive care unit of selected hospitals were then examined. In the third phase, Focus Group documentarians were asked to document the causes of the defect during the focus group sessions. Finally, the results of the steps of the findings were presented to a panel of experts to find the most appropriate solutions.

15 related articles were reviewed out of 76 recovered articles (19.7%). After reviewing the above texts, 4 general areas were identified. The mean score of the direct cause error was 49 and the underlying cause error was 40.5. The reasons for the error were the ambiguity of the physicians in the 19 cases of referral, low motivation, and low awareness of the necessity and manner of completing the death certificate. Strategies for evaluating and responding to documentarians were to formulate general and specific guidelines for completing death certificates for different departments based on the frequency of absurd diagnoses in the workshop.

Applying the strategies of this study can lead to a reduction in ineffective referral to forensic medicine, more accurate completion of the death certificate in hospital.