TY - JOUR PY - 2018// TI - Are statutory requirements followed in the certification of traumatic, unexpected, and unattended deaths in Missouri? JO - Journal of forensic sciences A1 - Xaverius, Pamela K. A1 - Wambuguh, Loise A1 - Ward, Craig A1 - Salas, Joanne A1 - Alleman, Elizabeth A1 - Young, Jeffrey A1 - Berkemeier, Jessica SP - 1756 EP - 1760 VL - 63 IS - 6 N2 - Medical examiners and coroners (ME/Cs) investigate deaths important to public health. This cross-sectional study evaluated 343,412 death certificates from 2007 to 2012 in Missouri. We examined agreement between cause and manner of death by year and ME/C contact as well as 2010-2012 trends in ME/C contact. There was near perfect agreement between cause and manner of death when an ME/C was contacted (kappa=0.97, p < 0.0001) and a significant increase in the proportion of deaths with ME/C contact from 2010 to 2012 (p =< 0.0001). There was a significantly higher proportion of ME/C-certified deaths using the electronic system in 2010-2012 (aOR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.15, 1.21) compared to the manual system in 2007-2009. Black, non-Hispanic (aOR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.43,1.57) and Hispanic (aOR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.13, 1.51) deaths, compared to White, non-Hispanic deaths, were associated with a significantly greater odds of ME/C certification. Race as an independent predictor of ME/C death certification warrants further research.

© 2018 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0022-1198 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.13785 ID - ref1 ER -