Table 4 Proportion of deaths with a cause recorded in CPRD primary care data (N = 600 for each 3-year band)
How cause of death is recorded in primary care | Years 2001–2003 | Years 2004–2006 | Years 2007–2009 | Accuracy (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Transcribed death certificate entry (e.g. 1a Heart failure, 1b Acute myocardial infarction) | ||||
Read codes | 46 (7.7%) | 103 (17.2%) | 112 (18.7%) | 59% (52%, 65%) |
Free text | 32 (5.3%) | 41 (6.8%) | 47 (7.8%) | 53% (44%, 63%) |
Explicit cause of death (e.g. Cause of death: myocardial infarction) | ||||
Read codes | 26 (4.3%) | 47 (7.8%) | 36 (6.0%) | 30% (22%, 40%) |
Free text | 16 (2.7%) | 17 (2.8%) | 16 (2.7%) | 55% (40%, 69%) |
Cause of death implied by diagnosis dated on or after date of death | ||||
Read codes | 140 (23.3%) | 79 (13.2%) | 52 (8.7%) | 44% (37%, 51%) |
Free text | 69 (11.5%) | 67 (11.2%) | 76 (12.7%) | 40% (34%, 46%) |
No cause of death in CPRD | 271 (45.2%) | 246 (41.0%) | 261 (43.5%) | – |