[The accuracy of the causes of death with judicial intervention in Catalonia in the period 2015-2020. Effect of declaration through IML-Web application].

OBJECTIVE

On January first, 2020, the Institutes of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (IMLCF) began to inform the causes of death directly to the National Statistics Institute (INE) through a web application (IML-Web). The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the implementation of this application on the quality of the data collected.

METHODS

A descriptive study using deaths data with judicial intervention that occurred in Catalonia was carried out. The data of the period 2015-2018 and 2019 was compared with 2020. The percentages, with confidence intervals, of the causes of death that were not specific, according to different classifications, were calculated on the total of cases by period and territory.

RESULTS

The total percentage of non-specific deaths had decreased, not significantly, by 1.6 points between the period 2015-2018 and 2020. The same indicator between 2019 and 2020 had decreased by 13.4 points. The percentage of non-specific deaths from external causes showed significant drops between both periods and 2020. In general, the indicators displayed territorial differences.

CONCLUSIONS

The roll-out of the IML-Web implies, compared to 2019, an improvement in the quality of the data. On the other hand, compared to the period 2015-2018, the data show a similar level of quality. Generally, it is assessed that the information provided by IMLCF of Catalonia through the IML-Web is accurate, but still has room for improvement.