How should we handle multiple deaths on different days

[jiawei-qian]

How should we handle multiple deaths on different days

CDM or THEMIS convention?

THEMIS

Table or Field level?

Field

Is this a general convention?

No

Summary of issues

1. How should we handle multiple deaths on different days?

Summary of answer

1. Only one death date per individual can be used. If a patient has clinical activity (e.g. prescriptions filled, labs performed, etc) more than 60+ days after death you may want to drop the death record as it may have been falsely reported. If multiple records of death exist on multiple days you may select the death that you deem most reliable (e.g. death at discharge) or select the latest death date.

Related links

Themis GitHub: https://github.com/OHDSI/Themis/issues/6 OHDSI Forum: https://forums.ohdsi.org/t/multiple-deaths-on-different-days/4552

[MaximMoinat]

Issue # and location

Themis issue #155

Issue summary

Handling multiple deaths on different days

Convention type

Table

CDM table

death

CDM field

NA

Links to issue discussion

• OHDSI Forums discussion
• Themis GitHub

Provenance of data

General

The ratified convention

Only one death date per individual can be used. If a patient has clinical activity (e.g. prescriptions filled, labs performed, etc) more than 60+ days after death you may want to drop the death record as it may have been falsely reported. If multiple records of death exist on multiple days you may select the death that you deem most reliable (e.g. death at discharge) or select the latest death date.

Date of ratification/published

June 2018

Downstream implications

This convention is important for survival studies. Having multiple deaths per person in the death table is not expected, and would lead to double counting of deaths.

Link to DQD check

Currently, there is no DQD check for uniqueness of person_id in death table. We should implement this (i.e. enable isPrimaryKey for death.person_id)

Related conventions/further information

NA

#Tags death