Journal of Medical Academics

Register      Login

VOLUME 3 , ISSUE 2 ( July-December, 2020 ) > List of Articles

Original Article

Epidemiological Profile of In-Hospital Deaths in a Tertiary Health Care Centre: A 3-Year Retrospective Study in Western Maharashtra

Sachin Chourasia, Shivani Dhaka, Ravi Rautji, KV Radhakrishna

Citation Information : Chourasia S, Dhaka S, Rautji R, Radhakrishna K. Epidemiological Profile of In-Hospital Deaths in a Tertiary Health Care Centre: A 3-Year Retrospective Study in Western Maharashtra. Journal of Medical Academics 2020; 3 (2):38-42.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10070-0054

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 01-04-2021

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2020; The Author(s).


Abstract

Aim: The knowledge of specific contributors to mortality is crucial for the improvement of health of the community. Globally, medical certificate of cause of death is used for gathering epidemiological statistics. Our study examines the mortality pattern with sociodemographic characteristics of in-hospital deaths, which occurred at a tertiary health care center in Maharashtra. Materials and methods: This study is a descriptive retrospective study in which 1,000 medical certification of cause of death forms (n = 1000) filled at a tertiary care hospital between Aug 2016 and Aug 2019 were analyzed. Results: Total 64.5% of cases were males and 35.5% were females. About 42% were elderly (60–80 years). About 23% of the deaths were due to “diseases of the circulatory system.” The highest number of cases died within the first 10 days of admission. The “diseases of circulatory system” was the commonest group causing deaths in “brief” hospital stay (<10 days), “diseases of digestive system” in “short” (10 days–1 month), “neoplasia” in “long” (1–3 months), and “diseases of nervous system” in “prolong” hospital stay (>3 months). Conclusion: The mortality rate among males was more than twice of females and maximum deaths were observed in the geriatric age group. The chief causes of mortality overall and among both males and females individually were the diseases of the circulatory system among which, the cerebrovascular diseases accounted for highest number of cases. Overall demographic data were comparable to observations from various national and international studies. Clinical significance: Cause-specific mortality statistics are routinely required by policy makers, researchers, and other professionals for decision-making for resource allocation, monitoring of health indicators, and identifying priorities for health initiatives. Availability of data remains limited and inadequate in many countries. Studies on in-hospital deaths are needed to identify mortality indicators in different regions and channel public health initiatives in the right direction.


HTML PDF Share
  1. Medical certification of cause of death. Med J Armed Forces India 2004;60(3):261-272. DOI: 10.1016/S0377-1237(04)80060-1 Epub 2011 Jul 21. PMID: 27407646;PMCID: PMC4923180.
  2. Accuracy in certification of cause of death in a tertiary care hospital: a retrospective analysis. J Forensic Leg Med 2014;24:33-36. DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2014.03.006. Epub 2014 Mar 31. PubMed PMID: 24794848.
  3. The quality of medical death certification of cause of death in hospitals in rural Bangladesh: impact of introducing the international form of medical certificate of cause of death. BMC Health Serv Res 2017;17(1):688. DOI: 10.1186/s12913-017-2628-y. PMID: 28969690;PMCID: PMC5625830.
  4. Cause-specific mortality patterns among hospital deaths in Tanzania, 2006–2015. PLoS One 2018;13(10):e0205833. Published 2018 Oct 31. 10.1371/journal.pone.0205833.
  5. An accessible method for teaching doctors about death certification. Health Inf Manag 2012;41(1):4-10. DOI: 10.1177/183335831204100101.
  6. 1787/9789264300309-en [2018, accessed on 20 August 2019].
  7. International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems, tenth revision (ICD-10). 2nd ed., Geneva: World Health Organization; 2004.
  8. Trend and pattern of mortality among patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital. J Community Health Manag 2016;3(4):199-202.
  9. Mortality trend and pattern in tertiary care hospital of Solapur in Maharashtra. Indian J Community Med 2013;38(1):49-52. DOI: 10.4103/0970-0218.106628.
  10. Medical causes of death in a teaching hospital in south-eastern Nigeria: a 16 year review. Niger J Clin Pract 2014;17(6):711-716. DOI: 10.4103/1119-3077.144383.
  11. Mortality trends in a tertiary care hospital in Mysore. Int J Health Allied Sci 2018;7:80-82.
  12. A study of mortality pattern in adults at a tertiary care teaching hospital in south India. RRJMHS 2014;3(4):145-149.
  13. Trends in inpatient hospital deaths: national hospital discharge survey, 2000–2010. NCHS Data Brief 2013(118):1-8.
  14. Global, regional, and national age-sex specific mortality for 264 causes of death, 1980–2016: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2016. Lancet 2017;390(10100):1151-1210. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32152-9.
  15. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2016. Lancet 2017;390(10100):1211-1259. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32154-2.
  16. Causes of adult deaths by verbal autopsy in an urban slum of Ludhiana. Indian J Clin Pract 2013;24(7):623-625.
  17. The changing patterns of cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors in the states of India: the global burden of disease study 1990–2016. Lancet Glob Health 2018;6(12):e1339-e1351. DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30407-8.
  18. gov.in/ [2017, Accessed 20 Aug 2019].
  19. org/causes-of-death [2019, accessed on 26 August 2019].
  20. Adverse events and in-hospital mortality: an analysis of all deaths in a norwegian health trust during 2011. BMC Health Serv Res 2017;17(1):465. DOI: 10.1186/s12913-017-2417-7.
PDF Share
PDF Share

© Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) LTD.