Registo de óbitos em cuidados de saúde primários

Abstract

Objectives:To identify in two medical files the source of General Practitioners information on deaths and their causes, as well as the main causes and places of occurrence of the deaths of their patients. Type of study: Observational, descriptive and cross-sectional. Location: Venda Nova Community Health Center. Methods:We used a non-random sample consisting in patients subscribed in two medical lists of Venda Nova Community Health Center that died during the period between 1990 and 2008. The source of information on the occurrence and cause of death was classified as formal and informal. It was considered formal when obtained from the General Practitioner, Death Certificate, Police, Health Authority, National Institute of Medical Emergency, SINUS®, Civil Registrar or Health Institution, and informal when coming from relatives, neighbors, friends or obituary. Results: In the 312 files reviewed the source of information on the occurrence of death was informal in 87%, being the family their main source. In 45% the source of information on the cause of death was also informal and formal in 32%. In 25% the death resulted from malignant disease and in 22% of circulatory disease. The main place of death was a Health Institution. Discussion and Conclusions: As shown in this study, the majority of the information of the General Practitioner on the occurrence and cause of death of their patients came from an informal source. The integration of the General Practitioner in a formal network of information between different health institutions and the creation of a death register in the Health Centers could provide an improvement of the health care provided.