Use of Active Mortality Research of Death in the Evaluation of the Mortality Information System in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Objective: this study aims to evaluate the Mortality Information System (MIS) data in the Northeastern region of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, investigating underreported deaths and associated factors, as well as the contribution of different sources of death information. Methodology: active mortality research was performed in 17 possible reporting sources to identify non-notified deaths occurred in 2007, in ten selected Municipalities in the Northeastern region of the State. Results: it was identified an underreporting of 26.5% in 2007 in relation to the nominal list of MIS, available in the State of Minas Gerais in April 2008, and of 18.9% considering the final list of the Ministry of Health of Brazil; registry offices, healthcare facilities, and Family Health Strategy Teams were the mainly sources to identify non-notified deaths. Conclusion: active research for deaths in alternative sources should be used to improve reporting, increase coverage of reported deaths, and allow the use of MIS data for direct calculation of several health indicators.