• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.4-14
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• 2004

Background : To examine the problems involved in writing practice of death certificates, we compared the determination of underlying cause of death for vital statistics using recorded underlying cause of death in issued death statistics. Methods : We collected 688 mortality certificates issue in year of 2,000 from 3 university hospitals. And we also collected vital statistics from ministry of statistics. The causes of death were coded by experienced medical record specialists. And causes of death determined at ministry of statistics for national vital statistics were mapped to causes of death recorded at each death certificates. The rate that underlying causes of death for vital statistics were derived from underlying causes of death recorded at issued death certificates were analysed. Results : 64.5% of underlying cause of death for could be derived from underlying cause of death recorded at issued death certificates, 8.6% derived from intermediate cause of death, and 3.9% derived from direct cause of death. In 23% of cases, underlying cause of death could not be derived using issued death certificates. The rate that underlying cause of death for vital statistics could be derived from underlying cause of death recorded at death certificates was different between 3 university hospitals. And the rate was also different between death certificates and postmortem certificates. We classified the causes of death using 21 major categories. The rate was different between diseases or conditions that caused death too. Conclusion : When we examined the correctness of death certificate writing practice using above methods, correctness of writing could not be told as satisfactory. There was difference in correctness of writing between hospitals, between death certificates and postmortem certificates, and between diseases and conditions that caused death. With this results, we suggested some strategy to improve the correctness of death certificate writing practice.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.329-348
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• 2011

This research analyzed 168,010 cases of death of the aged over 65 from 244,867cases of death excluding 7 unknown age cases from 244,874 all age cases of death by using the death data of the National Statistical Office for 2007 to figure out factors affecting the quality of causes of death statistics of the aged and to suggest the ways of improving the quality of death statistics of the aged in korea. This research tried to derive factors affecting ill-defined cause of death category in acordance with WHO's guidelines and to find causes of lowering the accuracy of causes of death statistics of the aged. This research identified the problems of causes of death statistics of the aged by using both demographic characteristics such as sex, age, marital status, educational attainment, residential region, region size and factors of death items as independent variable to find causes of ill-defined cause of death of the aged. Logistic regression analysis was executed to calculate the hazard ratio about the ill-defined causes of death of the aged and multiple regression analysis was conducted to derive factors affecting the ill-defined cause of death by regional groups through using these independent variables such as the component ratio of over age 65, female death rates, doctors insitutions rate, medical institutions rate, attaching rates of death certificate by neighborhood. As a results of this research, R-code was the highest of ill-defined causes of death, accounting for 82.1%, and senility death(R54) of R-code was the highest, accounting for 91.2%. through subdivided order distribution of the ill-defined causes of death of the aged. As ill-defined causes of death by regional groups, attaching rates of death certificate by neighborhood was the most important factor(p<0.05) and also showed regression model's description with 83.8% ($R^2$=83.8%). Furthermore, Jeon-nam was the highest in the regional groups and these regions such as Je-ju, Jeon-buk, Chung-nam were not only attaching the death certificate by neighborhood but also were high at the rate of ill-defined causes of death. Therefore, this research found that both reconsideration about death certificate by neighborhood and education for doctors who write death certificate were needed the most.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.405-413
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was to investigate nursing students' attitude to death, death-related education experience and educational needs. Methods: The participants of this study were 1,134 nursing students' studying in three universities in Gyeonsangnam-do. Data collection was carried out from October 1st to November 31st, 2010. The collected data was analyzed for descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and Sheffe test using PASW Statistics 18.0. Results: The level of attitude to death of the subjects averaged 2.60. The item receiving the lowest score was 'I am not afraid of a long, slow death'. Approximately 62.0% of the nursing students' had no death-related education experience and 89.8% of those answered that death-related education was necessary. For attitude to death followed by general characteristics, death-related education experience and educational needs, there were significant differences in attitude to death according to gender, religion, perceived health status, worrying about problems, motivation of nursing, and an experience with death. Conclusion: As nursing students' have a high educational need university curriculum development and educational programs addressing death should be developed and applied to nursing students.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.348-357
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to identify maternal, infant, and perinatal mortality using the national population data of South Korea between 2018 and 2020, and to analyze mortality rates according to characteristics such as age, date of death, and cause of death in each group. This study updates the most recent study using 2009 to 2017 data. Methods: Analyses of maternal, infant, and perinatal mortality were done with data identified through the supplementary investigation system for cases of death from the Census of Population Dynamics data provided by Statistics Korea from 2018 to 2020. Results: Between 2018 and 2020, a total of 99 maternal deaths, 2,427 infant deaths, and 2,408 perinatal deaths were identified from 901,835 live births. The maternal mortality ratio was 11.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018; it decreased to 9.9 in 2019 but increased again to 11.8 in 2020. The maternal mortality ratio increased steeply in women over the age of 40 years. An increasing trend in the maternal mortality ratio was found for complications related to the puerperium and hypertensive disorders. Both infant and perinatal mortality continued to decrease, from 2.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018 to 2.5 in 2020 and from 2.8 in 2018 to 2.5 in 2020, respectively. Conclusion: Overall, the maternal, infant, and perinatal mortality statistics showed improvements. However, more attention should be paid to women over 40 years of age and specific causes of maternal deaths, which should be taken into account in Korea's maternal and child health policies.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.769-789
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• 2011

The life table is a statistical model for life expectancy and reflects mortality experiences exposed to a particular group of people. The following three issues are prerequisite for constructing the life table : a selection of how to estimate the death probability from observed death rates, a graduation method to smooth irregularity of the death probabilities, and an extension method of the death probabilities for oldest-old ages. To construct the life table that is fittest to Korean mortality experiences, we examine five estimation methods such as Chiang's and Greville's for the death probability, three graduation techniques including Beer's and Greville's formulae, and twelve mathematical functions for the extension of death probabilities for oldest-old ages. We also propose a method to resolve the cross-over problem arising from construction the life table.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.167-176
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• 2017

Background: This study aimed to analyze the impact of community health care resources on the place of death of older adults with dementia compared to those with cancer in South Korea, using public administrative big data. Methods: Based on a literature review, we selected person- and community-level variables that can affect older people's decisions about where to die. Data on place-of-death and person-level attributes were obtained from the 2013 death certification micro data from Statistics Korea. Data on the population and economic and health care resources in the community where the older deceased resided were obtained from various open public administrative big data including databases on the local tax and resident population statistics, health care resources and infrastructure statistics, and long-term care (LTC) insurance statistics. Community-level data were linked to the death certificate micro data through the town (si-gun-gu) code of the residence of the deceased. Multi-level logistic regression models were used to simultaneously estimate the impacts of community as well as individual-level factors on the place of death. Results: In both the dementia (76.1%) and cancer (87.1%) decedent groups, most older people died in the hospital. Among the older deceased with dementia, hospital death was less likely to occur when the older person resided in a community with a higher supply of LTC facility beds, but hospital death was more likely to occur in communities with a higher supply of LTC hospital beds. Similarly, among the cancer group, the likelihood of a hospital death was significantly lower in communities with a higher supply of LTC facility beds, but was higher in communities with a higher supply of acute care hospital beds. As for individual-level factors, being female and having no spouse were associated with the likelihood of hospital death among older people with dementia. Conclusion: More than three in four older people with dementia die in the hospital, while home is reported to be the place of death preferred by Koreans. To decrease this gap, an increase in the supply of end-of-life (EOL) care at home and in community-based service settings is necessary. EOL care should also be incorporated as an essential part of LTC. Changes in the perception of EOL care by older people and their families are also critical in their decisions about the place of death, and should be supported by public education and other related non-medical, social approaches.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.65-83
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• 1993

The purpose of this study is estimate limits of Korean life expectancy at birth by 'Gompertz growth curse Model', 'Cause-Elimination Model' and Multidimensional models of Senescencee and Mortality'. Data used in Gompertz curve were obtained from all life tables published from 1905 to 1990 in Korea, and life expectancies at birth of eighteen groups were selected at five-year interval in consideration of time-series changes. Data used in Cause-Elimination Model are 'Cause of Death statistics in 1991' published in 1992 by National Bureau of Statistics of Korea and 'life table of 1989' published in 1990 by National Bureau of Statistics, Economic Planning Board of Korea. The materials are all classifiable death data, 119, 253 cases of male and 82, 420 cases of female, which is from 1991 Causes of Death statistics. The cases of death analyzed belong to one of 8 categories; i.e., Infectious and Parasitic Diseases(001-139; with notation of Infectious Diseases), Malignant Neoplasms(140-208), Hypertensive Diseases(401-405), Ischemic Heart Dieases and Diseases of Pulmonary Circulation and Other Forms of Heart Diseases(410-429;with notation of Heart Disease), Cerebrovascular Diseases(430-438), Chronic Liver Diseases and Cirrhosis(571; with notation of Liver Diseases), Injury and Poisoning(800-999) and all other disease. Data used in 'Multidimensional models of senescence and mortality' were life table of 1989 published by National Bureau of statistics, Economic Planning Board of Korea and life table of 1970, 1978-79, 1983, 1985 and 1987. The major findings may be summarised as follows: 1. Estimate equations of Gompertz growth curve using life expectancy at birth during the 1905-1990 period are as the following. Male : y = 88.047697 $\times$ $0.199690^{0.903381x}$ Female : y = 95.632828 $\times$ $0.199690^{0.903381x}$ Limits of life expectancy at birth, which were estimated by Gompertz growth curve, are 88.05 for male and 95.63 for female. 2. The effect on life expectancy at birth eliminationg all causes death is 14.04 years(for male) and 10.86 years(for female). Astonishingly, eliminating the malignant neoplasms increase life expectancy at birth by 2.85 years for male 2.03 years for female in 1991. In table 8 we show the effect on life expectancy at birth of separately eliminating each of the 8 categorical causes of death. The theoretical limit to life expectancy by Cause-Elimination Model is 80.96 for male and 85.82 for female. 3. If the same rate of delay [0.376 year(male), 0.435 year(femable) per calendar year] continued, then life expectancy at birth would reach 74.82(male) years and 84, 10(female) years in 2010. With 14.04-years(male) and 10.86-years(female) effect attributable in 2010 would be 88.86 years(male) and 94.96(femable) years. 4. 'Multidimensional models of senescence and death' permits calculations of the value of the attribution coefficient (B), percent of loss per year of physiologic function. The results of Ro and B during the 1970-1989 period are listed in table 9. Estimate of limit to Korean life expectancy at birth by 'Multidimensional models of senescence and death' is 99.47 years for male and 104.74 years for female in 1989.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.43-69
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• 1983

This study was conducted to make the life tables from specific causes of death in Korea. Both "Life tables of Korea in l978-79" and "the statistics on causes of death statistics in 1980" issued by Economic Planning Board were used as source of data for this study. Among the 58, 187 death certificates reported to the concerned authorities, 39, 801 causes were drawn for the purpose of this study. As a result, it is revealed that two thirds of men in Korea died from these 10 major causes of death. The summarized results are as follows: 1. According to recent statistics, 10 major causes of death in 1980 were shown in the order of 1) malignant neoplasms, 2) cerebrovascular disease, 3) accidents and adverse effects, 4)hypertensive disease, 5) ischaemic heart disease and heart attack, 6) chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, 7) tuberculosis, 8) pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema and asthma, 9) suicide, 10) diabetes mellitis. 2. The major causes of death in Korea were very similar to those of developed countries such as West Germany, Denmark and Japan. This means that our pattern of death causes is almost approaching to that of developed countries. 3. Our crude death rate in 1980 was on the line of 6.6 per 1, 000 people. This is very low level, compared with 12.1 in West Germany and 10.0 in Denmark, however, our age sepcific death rate was on the verge of doubled level in each age category as to that of West Germany, Denmark and Japan. The fact tells us that our death rate is very high yet, especially in young and prime adult age, and the proportion of the aged is quite low. 4. Average ages of people died from malignant neoplasms, cerebro vascular diseases and hypertensive diseases were 63.1, 66.6, 67.3 respectively, however, that of accidents and adverse effect was only 42.5. This shows that accidents occur indifferently from age. 5. In the curve of eventual death probability, the curve of malignant neoplasms was the highest of all curves before 60 in age. However, the probability curve of eventually dying from accidents and adverse effects tends to decline with age. 6. In this study five life tables from major causes of death (four leading causes of death and of tuberculosis) were constructed for 1979. These life tables are reflecting accurately the effects of age distribution on the specific cause of death. In the surviving curje of these tables we can see that the curve of accidents is adversely related to age. While curves of neoplasms, hypertension and tuberculosis are not diminishing before 40 in age, they are going sharply downward after 50 in age.ard after 50 in age.

• Communications for Statistical Applications and Methods
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.557-573
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• 2019

Mortality study is an essential component of actuarial risk management for life insurance policies, annuities, and pension plans. Life expectancy has drastically increased over the last several decades; consequently, longevity risk associated with annuity products and pension systems has emerged as a crucial issue. Among the various aspects of mortality study, a consideration of the cause-of-death mortality can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the nature of mortality/longevity risk. In this case study, the cause-of-mortality data in Korea and the US were analyzed along with a multinomial logistic regression model that was constructed to quantify the impact of mortality reduction in a specific cause on actuarial values. The results of analyses imply that mortality improvement due to a specific cause should be carefully monitored and reflected in mortality/longevity risk management. It was also confirmed that multinomial logistic regression model is a useful tool for analyzing cause-of-death mortality for actuarial applications.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.20 no.1 s.61
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• pp.98-103
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• 2006

This paper analyzed deaths caused by fires using the Annual Report on the Cause of Death Statistics (based on vital registration) published by the Korea National Statistical Office. The number of fire deaths and the fire death rates of all deaths have started to decrease since the height in 1993. The younger groups have increasingly more fire deaths than the older groups. While children groups(age 10 and under) have decreased in their deaths caused by fires, the older groups (65 and over) tend to increase. Males are more likely to have a risk than females in all age groups. Fire death rates per 100,000 populations by age group suggest very high rates in the older groups. Although there are few changes in death rates caused by fires of all deaths, young children (age 4 and under) and older adults (age 75 and over) have a higher risk than any other age groups.