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    Duration of death investigations that proceed to inquest in Australia.

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    10
    Author
    Studdert, DM; Walter, SJ; Kemp, C; Sutherland, G
    Date
    2016-10
    Source Title
    Injury Prevention
    Publisher
    BMJ
    University of Melbourne Author/s
    Sutherland, Georgina; Studdert, David; KEMP, CELIA
    Affiliation
    Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Document Type
    Journal Article
    Citations
    Studdert, D. M., Walter, S. J., Kemp, C. & Sutherland, G. (2016). Duration of death investigations that proceed to inquest in Australia.. Inj Prev, 22 (5), pp.314-320. https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2015-041933.
    Access Status
    Open Access
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/11343/260045
    DOI
    10.1136/injuryprev-2015-041933
    Open Access at PMC
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5099192
    Abstract
    BACKGROUND: Recent government inquiries in several countries have identified the length of time it takes coroners to investigate deaths due to injury and other unnatural causes as a major problem. Delays undermine the integrity of vital statistics and adversely affect the deceased's family and others with interests in coroners' findings. Little is publicly known about the extent, nature and causes of these delays. METHODS: We used Kaplan-Meier estimates and multivariable regression analysis to decompose the timelines of nearly all inquest cases (n=5096) closed in coroners' courts in Australia between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2013. RESULTS: The cases had a median closure period of 19.0 months (95% CI 18.4 to 19.6). Overall, 70% of cases were open at 1 year, 40% at 2 years and 22% at 3 years, but there was substantial variation by jurisdiction. Adjusted analyses showed a difference of 22 months in the average closure time between the fastest and slowest jurisdictions. Cases involving deaths due to assault (+12.2 months, 95% CI 7.8 to 17.0) and complications of medical care (+9.0 months, 95% CI 5.5 to 12.3) had significantly longer closure periods than other types of death. Cases that produced public health recommendations also had relatively long closure periods (+8.9 months, 95% CI 7.6 to 10.3). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly a quarter of inquests in Australia run for more than 3 years. The size of this caseload tail varies dramatically by jurisdiction and case characteristics. Interventions to reduce timelines should be tried and carefully evaluated.

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