Electronic certification and Registration: Opportunities

1. Electronic certification and Registration: Opportunities Cleo Rooney, Office for National Statistics, London, England

2. Statistical Consultation: • Can we make mortality statistics better in C20st? • But still make sure they are comparable to current and past data? • Improve access to data, But protect confidentiality?

3. National Laws • vary within UK • embody international obligations & national requirements • International agreements • WHO, UN, Eurostat • Comparability • international, subnational • over time

4. Current in England and Wales • Similar to Scotland • electronic registration; paper certification • Legal restrictions • form of certificate • paper communication

5. Opportunities for change • Civil Registration Review • Modernising Government > E-government • Shipman Case • HO Review of death certification and Coroner Service

6. Civil registration review • Regulatory reform order • improve services to the public • ease the burden of regulationa • > Register by phone, internet • > accept fax and ??? Email of current certificates

7. Government position paper on death certification • Fundamental change to death investigation • New officials • New forms • New information to be collected • > Electronic certification by doctors and coroners

8. Electronic certification • Help screens, general and specific instructions • Validation at source • Linkage to pick up admin data automatically • Electronic access to E Patient Record, lab results etc for certifier • 2nd certifier - acess / linkage to verify • improve specificity, accuracy

9. Improve timeliness • Networked transfer to national database daily • Death ‘notification’ within 1-2 days • Provisional cause > amend later • Needs careful design and pilot studies • Learn from experience in other countries