EVENTS APPENDIX 3

Multiple causes of stillbirth: Alpha codes

Multiple causes are only coded for type 2, 3, 4 and 5, stillbirths, otherwise this is blank.

There are 8 slots for multiple causes of stillbirth. Each is prepared by an alpha code which indicates the position on the stillbirth draft of the immediately following multiple cause code.

A is always the first prefix.

A = The immediately following multiple cause code is taken from
  line 1(a) of the stillbirth draft.
   
B = The immediately following multiple cause code is taken from
  line 1(b) of the stillbirth draft.
   
C = The immediately following multiple cause code is taken from
  line 1(c) of the stillbirth draft.
   
Z = The immediately following multiple cause code is taken from
  line 11 of the stillbirth draft.
   
' ' = Alpha code is the same as that for the previous multiple
  cause code.
   
( = the immediately following multiple cause code provides
  additional information about the previous multiple cause
  code.
   

A, B, C, Z prefixes appear only once per record and in the order shown,though they need not all be present.

' and ( can appear any number of times after one of the alpha prefixes

Unused fields are left blank.

For further details of multi-cause codes see Events Appendix 2.

18-Sep-03