Search Engines to Capture Missing Deaths From Institutional Data Warehouse

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Biostatistics
• Medical Record Management

Background:

• Mortality is a critical endpoint in clinical research and practice.
• Existing institutional databases often under-report patient deaths.
• Accurate mortality data is essential for comprehensive patient care and research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify under-reported patient deaths in institutional databases.
• To compare the effectiveness of online mortality search engines versus institutional data warehouses in capturing patient deaths.
• To assess the utility of integrating external search engines for improved mortality data collection.

Main Methods:

• Utilized patient demographic data (first/last name, date of birth) for 134 individuals.
• Searched online mortality databases (e.g., Find a Grave Index, US Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection) and institutional data warehouses.
• Compared mortality records identified through online searches with those from the institutional data warehouse.

Main Results:

• The institutional data warehouse identified only about one-third of total patient mortalities.
• The Find a Grave Index captured the most patient deaths missed by the institutional data warehouse, second only to the Social Security Death Index.
• Online search engines significantly augmented the capture of patient deaths compared to institutional records alone.

Conclusions:

• Integrating readily available online mortality search engines into institutional data warehouses enhances the accuracy of patient death records.
• This approach is particularly valuable for capturing deaths occurring outside of index operative admissions.
• The findings support the use of this method for improved patient outreach and mortality reporting.