[Cause-of-death statistics and ICD, quo vadis?]

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Medical Informatics
• Statistics

Background:

• The International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the global standard for cause-of-death statistics.
• Previous ICD revisions have influenced the quality and comparability of mortality data.
• Germany's use of ICD-9 and ICD-10 in death statistics requires evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of ICD-9 and ICD-10 on German cause-of-death statistics.
• To identify opportunities and challenges in transitioning from ICD-10 to ICD-11.
• To evaluate the quality of documentation in German death certificates.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of approximately 67,000 anonymized German death certificates.
• Calculation of the exploitation grade for ICD-9 and ICD-10 in German cause-of-death statistics.
• Utilizing Iris/MUSE software for data processing.

Main Results:

• Significant changes in exploitation grade observed during the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10.
• Regional variations in cause-of-death statistics were identified.
• The rate of "ill-defined" conditions exceeded 10%.

Conclusions:

• Despite improvements, deficits persist in coroner inquests, death certificate completion, and coding quality.
• Recommendations include wider use of Iris/MUSE, multiple cause-of-death statistics, electronic death certificates, and improved medical assessment.
• A coordinated effort is crucial for successfully implementing ICD-11 and enhancing mortality statistics for science, public health, and policy.