Person—underlying cause of death, code (ICD-10 2nd edn) ANN-ANN

Identifying and definitional attributes
Metadata item type:	Data Element
Short name:	Underlying cause of death
Synonymous names:	UCOD code
METEOR identifier:	307931
Registration status:	Health, Superseded 16/01/2020
Definition:	The disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to a person's death or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury, as represented by a code. (WHO 2004)
Data Element Concept:	Person—underlying cause of death

Value domain attributes

Representational attributes

Classification scheme:

International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, (2nd edition)

Representation class:

Code

Data type:

String

Format:

ANN-ANN

Maximum character length:

Data element attributes

Collection and usage attributes

Guide for use:

Underlying cause of death is central to mortality coding and comparable international mortality reporting.

Comments:

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) codes and classifies the underlying cause of death (UCOD) according to the rules and guidelines for mortality coding adopted by the World Health Assembly and set out in the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD).

The ABS uses the Mortality Medical Data System (MMDS) to process and code cause-of-death information reported on death certificates.

Source and reference attributes

Submitting organisation:

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Origin:

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2004. Information Paper: Cause of death certification. Catalogue no. 1205.0.55.001. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Viewed 31 August 2005.

National Center for Health Statistics 2005. About the Mortality Medical Data System. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Viewed 31 August 2005.

World Health Organisation 2004. The International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems, tenth revision, (2nd edn). Geneva: World Health Organisation.

Reference documents:

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2004. Information Paper: Cause of death certification. Catalogue no. 1205.0.55.001. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Viewed 31 August 2005.

World Health Organisation 2004. The International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems, tenth revision, (2nd edn). Geneva: World Health Organisation.

Relational attributes

Related metadata references:

Implementation in Data Set Specifications:

All attributes +

Acute coronary syndrome (clinical) DSS Health, Superseded 01/09/2012

DSS specific attributes +
*Conditional obligation:* If a date of death is recorded, the cause of death must also be recorded. These data are recorded regardless of the cause of death.

Acute coronary syndrome (clinical) DSS Health, Superseded 02/05/2013

DSS specific attributes +
*Conditional obligation:* If a date of death is recorded, the cause of death must also be recorded. These data are recorded regardless of the cause of death.

Acute coronary syndrome (clinical) NBPDS Health, Recorded 15/05/2017

DSS specific attributes +
*Conditional obligation:* If a date of death is recorded, the cause of death must also be recorded. These data are recorded regardless of the cause of death.

Acute coronary syndrome (clinical) NBPDS 2013-Health, Standard 02/05/2013

DSS specific attributes +
*Implementation start date:* 01/07/2013 *Conditional obligation:* If a date of death is recorded, the cause of death must also be recorded. These data are recorded regardless of the cause of death.

Cancer (clinical) DSS Health, Superseded 08/05/2014

DSS specific attributes +
*Conditional obligation:* Recorded when the patient has died.

Cancer (clinical) DSS Health, Superseded 14/05/2015

DSS specific attributes +
*Conditional obligation:* Recorded when the patient has died.

Cancer (clinical) NBPDS Health, Standard 14/05/2015

DSS specific attributes +
*Conditional obligation:* Recorded when the patient has died.

National Bowel Cancer Screening Program NBEDS 2014-18 Health, Superseded 06/09/2018

DSS specific attributes +
*Implementation start date:* 01/07/2014 *Implementation end date:* 30/06/2018 *Conditional obligation:* Only to be answered if the person has died.

National Bowel Cancer Screening Program NBEDS 2018–19 Health, Superseded 12/12/2018

DSS specific attributes +
*Implementation start date:* 01/07/2018 *Implementation end date:* 30/06/2019 *Conditional obligation:* Only to be answered if the person has died.

National Bowel Cancer Screening Program NBEDS 2019–20 Health, Superseded 16/01/2020

DSS specific attributes +
*Implementation start date:* 01/07/2019 *Implementation end date:* 30/06/2020 *Conditional obligation:* Only to be answered if the person has died.

Implementation in Indicators:

Used as Numerator

National Bowel Cancer Screening Program: PI 11-Colorectal cancer mortality rate Health, Superseded 06/09/2018

National Bowel Cancer Screening Program: PI 11-Colorectal cancer mortality rate Health, Standard 06/09/2018

National Healthcare Agreement: P03-Incidence of end-stage kidney disease, 2010 Health, Superseded 08/06/2011

National Healthcare Agreement: P20-Potentially avoidable deaths, 2010 Health, Superseded 08/06/2011

National Healthcare Agreement: P59-Age-standardised mortality by major cause of death, 2010 Health, Superseded 08/06/2011

National Healthcare Agreement: PI 03-Incidence of end-stage kidney disease, 2011 Health, Superseded 30/10/2011

National Healthcare Agreement: PI 03-Incidence of end-stage kidney disease, 2012 Health, Retired 25/06/2013

National Healthcare Agreement: PI 08-Major causes of death, 2013 Health, Superseded 30/04/2014

National Healthcare Agreement: PI 08-Major causes of death, 2014 Health, Superseded 14/01/2015

National Healthcare Agreement: PI 08-Major causes of death, 2015 Health, Superseded 08/07/2016