Recording of diabetes on death certificates. Has it improved?

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the recording of diabetes on death certificates improved from 1986 to 1993. METHOD: Comparison of two National Mortality Follow-back Surveys that selected independent samples of death certificates with the purpose of obtaining information from informants about the decedents. RESULTS: The recording of diabetes on death certificates did not improve from 1986 to 1993. CONCLUSION: Periodic monitoring of the accuracy of death certificates is essential for proper interpretation of mortality statistics which are routinely used to describe the burden of diabetes in our society.