BENGALURU: In the next two to three months, all hospitals in Karnataka are likely to have an e-mortality (e-mor) software to help medically register deaths. The software developed by the National Centre for Disease Informatics (NCDI), which is headquartered in Bengaluru, will help identify the underlying cause of death. A pilot test was done in Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology and Vydehi Hospital recently.
This software includes a data entry feature with in-built quality checks, search and export features. Hospitals can use the free software that includes a training tool, support and customisation.
Dr Prashant Mathur, director, NCDI, said, “We are in talks with the Department of Planning Programme and Statistics. It does not come under the Health Department. Not just cancer, we want e-mor to be used for every disease.”
Dr Sukanya R, a scientist at NCDI, who made a presentation on ‘Improving reporting on cause of mortality using information technology system’ at the International Cancer Congress here on Saturday, said, “Of the estimated 85 lakh deaths that occur in India every year, only 74 per cent are registered and only 22 per cent of the total registered deaths are medically certified. Mode of dying is usually recorded as cause of death instead of the underlying cause of death.”
“Errors in recording cause of death lead to poor quality cause-specific mortality statistics,” she said.
Statistical reports based on the cause of death medical certificates available with the Registrar General of India can also be generated by the e-mor software. This shall strengthen disease burden estimation for health policy and programme implementation for fighting the disease.
“The software does not allow mode of dying like breathlessness or heart attack to be entered as cause of death as that may be common in a lot of fatalities,” she said.
Any disease burden estimates, especially of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer, require a reliable database on causes of death. The National Cancer Registry Programme since 1982 has been challenged with regard to matching deaths with incidence of cancer data and thereby in generating cancer-specific mortality rates.