Key points
- Medical examiners and coroners use data, reporting systems, and registries when conducting medicolegal death investigations (MDIs).
- CDC provides several registries and reporting systems that may be relevant to your work.
- Modernized and integrated data systems allow medical examiners and coroners to stay connected and up to date.
- Medical examiners and coroners use data, reporting systems, and registries when conducting medicolegal death investigations (MDIs).
- CDC provides several registries and reporting systems that may be relevant to your work.
- Modernized and integrated data systems allow medical examiners and coroners to stay connected and up to date.
Modernizing data systems
Data modernization improves timeliness and accuracy of information. Medical and legal (medicolegal) death investigations (MDI) data modernization will help—
- Reduce data entry
- Improve data exchange
- Increase data access
- Allow data comparisons
- Standardize data
National Violent Death Reporting System
CDC maintains the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) to provide information about violent deaths, including homicides and suicides. The data found in reports from medical examiners and coroners provide context about violent deaths. Decision makers and program planners use this information to develop and customize violence prevention efforts.
National Vital Statistics System
Medical examiners and coroners report cause-of-death information on death certificates. The National Vital Statistics System uses data from death certificates across the United States to—
- Track characteristics of deaths
- Help determine life expectancy
- Compare death trends with other countries
State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System
CDC's State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) provides information about drug overdose deaths. These data, taken from death certificates and other sources, are used to inform prevention and response efforts.
Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Death in the Young
CDC supports the Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) and Sudden Death in the Young (SDY) Case Registry. The registry helps to improve the quality of data for these causes of death. To help standardize medical investigations of SUID and SDY, CDC collaborates with other organizations and experts to—
- Create guidelines
- Develop training materials
- Gather data
- Standardize data used for death investigations