Completeness of Data-Reporting on Death Certificate in Cameroon. A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of the Potential Notification of Deaths in the Estimation of National and Subnational Mortality Indicators

Samuel Kelodjoue, Independent Consultant

Death certification is a public health surveillance tool and a valuable source of information at the national and local levels. Among activities that benefit from the availability of cause-of death statistics obtained from death certificates are the monitoring of the health of populations, the setting of priorities and the targeting of interventions. Such statistics are also the keystone of much epidemiological study, directing the focus of research and complementing mortality data in follow-up studies. The objective of this communication is to assess the completeness of data on death registry over the past 25 years in Yaoundé city Council, and to examine factors associated with the absence of information recorded by registration authorities on the death certificate or as part of official record-keeping. The crucial findings was that the information on the death certificates was almost complete in respect of all demographic characteristics of the persons except for occupation parent’s place of Residence and occupation were generally neglected. The responsibility for failing to report causes of death was shared between the families of the deceased, who lacked an incentive to call for physicians (51% of all certificates ), and the physicians who failed to report the causes (21.6% of certified deaths).

Keywords: Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, Mortality and Longevity, Data and Methods, Health and Morbidity

See extended abstract.