Table 1

Potential Bias Associated with Alternative Strategies For Veterans' Mortality Ascertainment *

BIRLS Only Strategy
 Death Certificate Only Strategy


Cases identified by BIRLS
 Additional cases identified by death certificates
 P-value
 Cases identified by death certificates
 Additional cases identified by BIRLS
 P-value
Number of cases
 6,387
 2,426
8,124
 689
Age (years)
 70.86
 71.15
 0.8253
 70.95
 70.79
 0.6891
Gender





     Male
 98
 97
 0.2733
 98
 98
 0.8662
Race / Ethnicity





     White
 57
 54
58
 31
 <0.001
     Black
 12
 8
11
 6
     Hispanic
 5
 5
5
 1
     Other
 2
 2
2
 1
     Missing
 24
 31
 <0.001
 23
 61
Marital Status





     Married
 46
 49
47
 45
 0.0028
     Single
 16
 13
15
 16
     Divorced
 23
 24
23
 23
     Widowed
 11
 12
11
 11
     Missing
 4
 2
 0.0002
 3
 6
State of Residence





     California
 92
 99
99
 38
     Non-California
 8
 1
 <0.001
 1
 62
 <0.001
Diagnosis





     Cancer
 35
 32
 0.0426
 35
 17
 <0.001
     CHF
 22
 19
 0.0175
 22
 7
 <0.001
     COPD
 28
 24
 0.0002
 28
 11
 <0.001
     ESLD
 6
 4
 0.0327
 6
 3
 0.0010
     ESRD
 3
 1
 <0.0001
 3
 0
 0.001
     Dementia
 11
 11
 0.9656
 11
 3
 <0.001
     HIV
 1
 1
 0.1586
 1
 0
 0.0621
Complexity Index





     0
 35
 37
32
 69
     1
 35
 39
38
 22
     2
 22
 18
22
 6
     3
 7
 5
7
 2
     4
 1
 1
 <0.0001
 1
 0
 <0.001
Site of Utilization





     Any inpatient





     Any long term
 45
 29
 <0.0001
 42
 21
 <0.001
care
 20
 12
 <0.0001
 19
 7
 <0.001
     Any outpatient
 95
 96
 0.0225
 95
 96
 0.1218

*Findings are expressed as proportions unless otherwise identified. P-values reflect Wilcoxon two-sided probabilities for continuous variables and chi-square for categorical variables. Categorical tests reflect tests for differences including missing.

Lorenz et al. Population Health Metrics 2005 3:2   doi:10.1186/1478-7954-3-2