Automation of mortality data coding and processing in the United States of America.

The development in the United States of America of an automated system for coding mortality data...was undertaken with two major objectives in mind: (i) to introduce consistent and rapid assignment of underlying cause-of-death coding with reduced needs or manpower training; and (ii) to allow better utilization of medical information on death certificates for multiple cause-of death analyses....The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) produces all of its underlying cause-of-death statistics for the United States on the basis of this system and multiple cause-of-death data are routinely available for additional epidemiological study beyond the traditional methods of vital statistics analyses. (SUMMARY IN FRE) (EXCERPT)