NATIONAL DEATH INDEX.

Abstract

Currently, health researchers conducting prospective or retrospective mortality studies spend a great amount of time, money, and effort to ascertain the fact and cause of death for individuals in their cohorts. Because there is no central mortality index, often the researcher must apply to the state, territorial and independent local vital statistics offices to conduct extensive searches. To remedy these problems, the National Center for Health Statistics is attempting to design and implement a computerized National Death Index (NDI). The purpose of the NDI is to simplify the procedure of determining whether or not an individual has died, and if so, to locate his death record. Deaths for all registration areas will be consolidated into a single file and ordered in a manner to enable a death record for an individual to be located, regardless of the registration area in which death occurred.