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From mono to multi-causality: Towards a comprehensive perspective on understanding death

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  • Harteloh, Peter

Abstract

Cause-of-death statistics are an age-old source of information for health policy and medical research. In these statistics, the presentation of data is based on the idea of an underlying cause of death, i.e. one (“the”) cause of death per deceased. This idea reflects an 18th Century causal thinking and is less and less applicable to contemporary patterns of dying in high income countries with an aging population suffering from chronic diseases and multi- or comorbidity at the end of life. Therefore, today's clinical reality calls for an innovation of cause-of-death statistics. For this, I will consider contemporary philosophical ideas on causality and their application to death. I will argue multi-causality is a more comprehensive way to understand death than mono-causality, implying a change of perspective with regard to current cause-of-death statistics.

Suggested Citation

  • Harteloh, Peter, 2024. "From mono to multi-causality: Towards a comprehensive perspective on understanding death," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:147:y:2024:i:c:s0168851024001313
    DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2024.105121
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Francesco Grippo & Aline Désesquelles & Marilena Pappagallo & Luisa Frova & Viviana Egidi & France Meslé, 2020. "Multi-morbidity and frailty at death: A new classification of death records for an ageing world," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 74(3), pages 437-449, September.
    2. Sergi Trias-Llimos & Magali Barbieri & Viviana Egidi & Luisa Frova & Francesco Grippo & France Meslé & Marilena Pappagallo & Aline Désesquelles, 2023. "Frailty at death: An examination of multiple causes of death in four low mortality countries in 2017," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 49(2), pages 13-30.
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