Provider reported challenges with completing death certificates: A focus group study demonstrating potential sources of error.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the experiences of providers in completing the cause of death section on death certificates, with particular reference to deaths in people who have cancer. METHODS: Focus groups were conducted until thematic saturation was reached, resulting in four groups over three months. Participants were from a variety of specialties and levels and types of training. Focus groups were recorded and transcribed verbatim and analyzed using constant comparison analysis. RESULTS: Three types of challenges to case classification were identified. 1) Infrastructural and procedural challenges encountered when completing death certificates, including the rigid structure of the form, lack of training in its completion, and lack of real-time feedback. 2) Clinical uncertainty and the varied approaches providers take to determine the cause of death based on their perception of the purpose of the death certificate. 3) Choosing cause of death in decedents with a history of cancer. CONCLUSIONS: There are specific and substantial challenges in the death certification process that lead to errors in documenting the cause of death, but many of these challenges could be addressed with structural change to the forms or mechanism of training. Using these data to inform change could improve the death certification process and reliability of this data.

Prenatal telemedicine during COVID-19: patterns of use and barriers to access.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient experience with a prenatal telemedicine visit and identify barriers to accessing telemedicine among rural pregnant people in northern New England during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a postvisit electronic survey of pregnant people who successfully participated in a prenatal telemedicine visit at a rural academic medical center in Northern New England. Nineteen questions were included in 5 domains: (1) engagement with prenatal care; (2) barriers to telemedicine and in person healthcare; (3) experience of prenatal care; (4) remote pregnancy surveillance tools; and (5) sources of COVID-19 information. RESULTS: Responses were obtained from 164 pregnant people. Forty percent of participants had participated in an audio-only telemedicine visit, and 60% in a video telemedicine visit. The visit was easy or somewhat easy for 79% of respondents and somewhat difficult or difficult for 6.8%. The most common barrier to accessing telemedicine was poor internet or phone connectivity, followed by childcare responsibilities, lack of equipment, and lack of privacy. Participants also engaged in additional remote prenatal care including phone calls with registered nurses (7.6%), communication with the obstetrics team through a secure health messaging portal (21.1%), and home health monitoring (76.3%). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: In this survey, evaluating the experience of pregnant people participating in a prenatal telemedicine visit during the COVID-19 pandemic, respondents had a positive experience with telemedicine overall, but also identified significant barriers to participation including issues with connectivity and lack of equipment for the visit. Most participants used telemedicine in combination with other tools for remote self-care.