Worth the paper it's written on? A cross-sectional study of Medical Certificate of Stillbirth accuracy in the UK.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Medical Certificate of Stillbirth (MCS) records data about a baby's death after 24 weeks of gestation but before birth. Major errors that could alter interpretation of the MCS were widespread in two UK-based regional studies.

Methods

A multicentre evaluation was conducted, examining MCS issued 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018 in 76 UK obstetric units. A systematic case-note review of stillbirths was conducted by Obstetric and Gynaecology trainees, generating individual 'ideal MCSs' and comparing these to the actual MCS issued. Anonymized central data analysis described rates and types of error, agreement and factors associated with major errors.

Results

There were 1120 MCSs suitable for assessment, with 126 additional submitted data sets unsuitable fo

SUBMITTER: Rimmer MP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9908049 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature