THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY OF DEATH IN TURKEY BY 2009-2016 AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DEATH STATEMENT SYSTEM

Objective: Death statistics are one of the most important indicators used in determining levels of health and planning, evaluating and reorganizing a country’s health services. This research is a descriptive study that epidemiologically examines deaths across a period of 8 years in Turkey. Material and Method: The data was obtained from the electronic records of the Turkish Statistical Institute. Categorical measurements from the data obtained are summarized as numbers and percentages. Results: Circulatory system diseases are the leading cause of death in each years, followed by benign and malignant tumors, and then respiratory system diseases. It is observed that circulatory system diseases, benign and malignant tumors and respiratory system diseases are increasing in the 35-44 years age group and it is also observed that the frequency increases every decades. Approximately 65% of the deaths in the first year of life occurred in the neonatal period. When the times of year are examined, it is seen that deaths are more frequent in the winter season. When the deaths are examined by gender and legal marital status, more than half of the dead females were widows, while about 17% of the dead males were widows. Conclusion: With the death notification system starting to be used in our country, adequate and accurate information has started to be accessible in death data. In order for death statistics to be accurate and reliable, it is necessary to compile death forms from one source, to have adequate training in all health personnel and to classify diseases correctly