[Development of an electronic death certificate for Germany]

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Informatics
• Medical Statistics

Background:

• Current death certification in Germany is paper-based and varies by state.
• There is a need for a standardized digital process for efficiency and data quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the concept of a nationally standardized electronic death certificate (eTB).
• To enable a digitalized processing chain for timely and improved mortality statistics.
• To investigate the effects of digitalization on the quality of national mortality data.

Main Methods:

• Development and testing of an electronic death certificate pilot based on a national data set aligned with WHO requirements.
• Processing of electronically collected data using the Iris electronic coding system.
• Multicausal analysis to compare data quality with international standards and the existing paper-based process.

Main Results:

• The pilot aims to harness synergies from digitalization in public administration and the health system.
• Investigating the impact of an aging and multimorbid population on mortality statistics through national multicausal analysis.
• Gathering results and lessons learned for potential national implementation.

Conclusions:

• The electronic death certificate pilot is expected to improve the timeliness and accuracy of mortality statistics.
• Findings will inform national policy and research regarding the aging population's health.
• Successful implementation could form the basis for a nationwide digital death certification system in Germany.