National institute of Public Health (NIJZ)

Health Data Center

Trubarjeva 2

1000 Ljubljana

Slovenija

Data on causes of death (COD) provide information on mortality patterns and form a major element of public health information.

COD data refer to the underlying cause which - according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) - is "the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury".

Causes of death are classified by the 86 causes of the "European shortlist" of causes of death. This shortlist is based on the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD).

CoD data are derived from death certificates. The information provided in the medical certificate of cause of death is mapped to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD).

Public Health

National definition used for usual residency and Stillbirth definition and characteristics collected are described in sections 3.4.1 and 3.4.2.

• https://www.stat.si/StatWeb/File/DocSysFile/7808/05-007-MP.pdf (in Slovenian)
• https://www.stat.si/statweb/File/DocSysFile/7989/05-007-ME.pdf (in English)

a) National definition used for stillbirths

https://podatki.nijz.si/docs/3c_Fetalne_smrti_Metodolo%C5%A1ka_pojasnila_NIJZ.pdf (in Slovenian)

The minimum number of weeks for stillbirths is 22 and the minimum weight for stillbirths is 550 grams.

b) Characteristics collected 

Gestational age, weight, crown-heel

The statistical unit is the deceased person.

All registered deaths and stillbirths occurring in Slovenia.

Neonates of non-resident mothers are not considered as residents.

Non-residents dying in Slovenia are reported to Eurostat but are not included in our national statistics.

Residents dying abroad are included in our national statistics. They are recorded by CoD R990 and are not reported to Eurostat.

Slovenia

CoD for Slovenia are available from 1985 onwards.

Note that due to the fact that 2011 data is the first data collection with a legal basis (and few changes in the requested variables and breakdowns), the data before and after 2011 are not always comparable (In part due to the different groupings of causes of deaths). Moreover time series for data on stillbirths starts in 2011 and no information on previous data is available.

Not applicable.

The unit is number.

2021

Countries submitted data to Eurostat on the basis of a gentleman's agreement established in the framework Eurostat's Working Group on "Public Health Statistics" until data with reference year 2010. The first data submitted according to the Regulation (EU) No 328/2011 is data with reference year 2011.
A Regulation on Community statistics on public health and health and safety at work (EC) No 1338/2008 was signed by the European Parliament and the Council on 16 December 2008. This Regulation is the framework of the data collection on the domain.
Within the context of this framework Regulation, a Regulation on Community statistics on public health and health and safety at work, as regards statistics on causes of death (EU) No 328/2011 was signed by the European Parliament and the Council on 5 April 2011.

The data are shared with national (Statistical Office of Republic of Slovenia) and international organizations (Eurostat, WHO, OECD). Data are used also for research purposes.

Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20 (4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p.164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data. All data collected and published by the National Institute of Public Health are governed by the Healthcare Databases Act (OJ RS No. 65/00 and updates) and additionally also by the National Statistics Act (OJ RS No. 45/95 and (No. 9/01). The National Statistics Act states that Statistics may be published in aggregate form only and are equally accessible to users, defined in paragraph 2 of Article 1 hereof. By way of exception, data may also be published individually:

• upon written consent of the reporting unit as regards publication of the data in such a way;
• if data have been collected from public (generally accessible) data collections (records, registers, databases, etc.);
• if data are published in such a way that the reporting unit involved cannot be identified.

All categories showing an absolute number less than 5 cases are considered as confidential.

Final national data for the previous year is published in September next year (t + 9 months).

Dates of publication are announced in the release calendar.

The release calendar is prepared in advance for the next calendar year and published at NIJZ webpage https://nijz.si/podatki/koledar-objav-za-leto-2023 (for 2023).

The most important information channel for data publication is the National institute of public health (NIJZ) data portal https://podatki.nijz.si. New data are released on the announced dates published in release calendar of NIJZ.  New data releases and all the changes are published in release calendar of NIJZ and also in interactive release calendar of national statistical institut and other national authorities responsible for development, production and dissemination of national statistics, which can be found on the website of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia http://www.stat.si/StatWeb/en/ReleaseCal.

None of the users have a prior access to the data. The simultaneous issue of the First Release is ensured. Same release policy applied to national release is applied to transmissions to Eurostat. All our data are available free of charge. Our copyright policy only requires that the NIJZ is stated as the source of data.

Annual.

News releases on-line.

Regular or ad-hoc on-line publications.

Data are available on-line https://podatki.nijz.si (in Slovene only)

Not available.

Microdata are available only for research purposes.

• https://podatki.nijz.si
• http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat

Not available.

Documents for CoD are available at Eurostat webpage.

Methodological explanations on CoD are available also in Slovene at NIJZ https://nijz.si/podatki/podatkovne-zbirke-in-raziskave/zbirka-podatkov-o-umrlih-osebah/ and within NIJZ data portal (General methodological explanations and additional explanations about covid-19). All explanations are in Slovene only.

Some metadata concepts have not been provided.

Short quality reports are available for internal users.

The causes of death data are based on a regulation, which defines scope, definitions of variables and characteristics of the data.

Data on CoD are compiled in compliance with methodological requirements and standards.

The main users of CoD data can be presented in different groups, namely:

A. EXTERNAL/INTERNATIONAL, like:

• Institutions at European level:

          - Eurostat

• Multi-national organizations:

          - World Health Organization (WHO)

          - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

B. EXTERNAL/NATIONAL, like:

• Institutions at national level – governmental:

          - Ministry of Health

          - Statistical Office of Republic of Slovenia

• Institutions at national level – non-governmental:

          - Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Cancer Registry

          - Media

          - Researchers and students

User satisfaction is measured with different user satisfaction surveys, performed on regular basis. User satisfaction surveys plan is prepared for each calendar year and results of surveys are published on NIJZ restricted area for employees. One of the user satisfaction surveys is also about satisfaction with NIJZ webpage, including NIJZ data portal.

All statistics required by the current EU legislation are available.

1. For mandatory variables: 100 %

2. For voluntary variables: 100 %

3. For additional variables:

• External CoD: 100 %
• Place of occurrence for external CoD: 0 % (the data is not available)
  
• Activity for external CoD: 0 % (the data is not available)

The definitions are consistent with EU regulation. The controls carried out ensure that data are consistent within a time series as well as on all territorial units.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Full coverage

There is no over-coverage.

Not applicable. Data collection is from administrative sources.

No measurement error was detected.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not aplicable.

No processing error was detected.

Not applicable.

From data collection with reference year 2011 onwards, Eurostat asks for the submission of final data for the year N at N+24 months.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

According to legislation.

Statistics are completely comparable between geographical areas.

Not applicable.

Note that due to the fact that 2011 data is the first data collection with a legal basis (and few changes in the requested variables and breakdowns), the data between 1994-2010 and starting from 2011 are not always comparable (in part due to the different groupings of causes of deaths). Moreover time series for data on stillbirths starts in 2011 and no information on previous data is available.

CoD for Slovenia are available from 1985 onwards.

Note that due to the fact that 2011 data is the first data collection with a legal basis (and few changes in the requested variables and breakdowns), the data before and after 2011 are not always comparable (in part due to the different groupings of causes of deaths). Moreover time series for data on stillbirths starts in 2011 and no information on previous data is available.

CoD data are regularly checked with mortality data available from demography. The same concept of usually resident population is used in the whole national statistical system and number of resident deaths in national CoD data matches mortality data available from demography. To Eurostat all registered deaths and stillbirths occurring in Slovenia are reported, distinguishing residents and non-residents.

Not applicable, only annual data are available.

Not applicable.

Total.

The cost and burden of the data collection is reduced by using validation and dissemination IT tools.

The cost and burden of the data collection is from national budget.

Not applicable.

There is no systematic revision of previous year data.

Not applicable.

Death certificates

Yearly

CoD data are derived from death certificates. The way of collection is a standardised process which has not changed a lot over the years. CoD database includes verified demographic data of the deceased – place of residence, marital status, place of death and data on all circumstances and causes of death, both physiological and external. The CoD database is additionally supplemented using secondary sources (Central Population Registry; Statistical Office of RS – population censuses, statistical registry of employment; Cancer Registry; Tuberculosis Registry, Injuries at work, etc.). These secondary sources mainly serve as sources for socio-economic data (education, profession, working status – active/inactive, retired, etc.).

Table on certification (Percentage)

There is no difference between certificate for stillbirths and neonates and regular death certificate.

Controls are carried out on the basis of reference date population, all data are controlled on individual level by using PINs and PINs of spouse/mother. Additional controls ensure that data are consistent within a time series as well as on all territorial units.

Description of coding procedure (central level, distributed among other bodies, etc.):

Central level

Description of the procedures to detect errors (i.e.errors such as potential inconsistency in the death certificate or error due to mistake when filling the deaths certificates):

Comparing age, ICD code (text), place of death, activity, day/hour to detect possible inconsistencies.

Description of the measures taken in order to solve detected errors:

Contacts with certifiers, insight in hospital database (deaths in hospitals), contact with personal physicians, autopsy reports. 

Coding performed by a certifier:

100 %.

Estimation of the percentage of autopsy from which information is available for coding:

10 % to 15 %.

Description of double coding exercises and rate of codification errors for underlying cause of death:

Double coding is not implemented.

ICD codes for the underlying cause (% of the Total)

Unknown country/region (%) for residents and non-residents who died in the country

• Central Population Register - Ministry of the interior;
• Statistical office of the Republic of Slovenia

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

No special adjustment needed.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.