Causes of death certification of adults: an exploratory cross-sectional study at a university hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Saudi Arabia has no precise data on causes of death. We sought to ascertain the commonest causes of death as stated in death certificates of adults and evaluate the completeness of death certificates at a teaching hospital in Riyadh. DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional study carried out at King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the year 2008. METHODS: All death certificates that were issued in 2008 were reviewed and data were checked by two reviewers. Causes of death were coded according to specially-designed codes. RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of death was 63.9 (20.7) years. More than 80% arrived alive at the hospital. Among the 410 certificates, 62.2% had the first reported cause of death being classified as “inappropriate” and this tended to be slightly, but significantly more frequent among women. The first most common appropriately reported cause of death was malignancy of any type (7.3%) followed by ischemic heart diseases (4.9%). Accidents and fractures were more common in the younger age groups and among men. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study that documents the possible gaps among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia in their understanding of death and its certification based on the clinical assessment of the deceased. The findings needs to be validated by similar studies from other health care sectors. It is clear, however, that proven educational, system-related and legal interventions to improve the accuracy of death certification are strongly needed if the health care priorities are to be properly identified.