Validation of an In-House Dutch Forensic Death Coding System (FDC)
Organized by: International Forensic Scientist Awards
Website: forensicscientist.org
14th Edition of Forensic Scientist Awards 26-27 September 2025 | Mumbai, India
In forensic medicine, accurate classification of the cause of death is critical—not just for scientific purposes but also for the justice system and public health. Traditionally, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) is the gold standard for coding causes of death. However, ICD-11 was primarily designed for clinical and hospital-based data, not for the unique challenges of forensic diagnoses.
Recognizing this gap, experts in the Netherlands developed an in-house Dutch Forensic Death Coding (FDC) system, specifically tailored to forensic practice. This blog explores how the FDC system was validated and why it could transform forensic death investigations.
Why a Forensic-Specific Coding System?
In forensic autopsies, causes of death are often complex and involve multiple contributing factors such as trauma, poisoning, or unnatural circumstances. The ICD-11 system, while excellent for medical diagnoses, does not always capture these forensic nuances. That’s where the FDC system steps in, offering a framework better aligned with the realities of forensic pathology and forensic medicine.
The Study: Testing the FDC System
To validate the system, researchers applied the FDC coding to 138 deaths investigated by the Netherlands Forensic Institute. Three forensic experts—a forensic pathologist and two forensic physicians—participated in coding the cases.
The study assessed:
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Inter-investigator agreement (consistency among different experts)
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Intra-investigator agreement (consistency of the same expert at different times)
The FDC system categorized deaths into five parameters:
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Main category
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Subcategory
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Other contributing factor category
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Mode of death category
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Certainty of death category
Key Findings
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Strong agreement: High consistency was found for the Main category (0.91 inter-investigator agreement; 0.95 intra-investigator agreement) and Subcategory (0.74 and 0.87).
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Moderate agreement: The Mode of death and Certainty categories showed lower but acceptable consistency.
These results indicate that the FDC system is both reliable and reproducible, particularly in its primary categories.
Why It Matters
The FDC system has the potential to:
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Reduce ambiguity in autopsy reporting
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Improve communication with legal professionals such as prosecutors, judges, and lawyers
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Enhance the role of forensic data in public health statistics and mortality reporting
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Provide a solid foundation for future international forensic death coding standards
Conclusion
The validation of the Dutch Forensic Death Coding (FDC) system marks an important step in improving how forensic causes of death are documented and interpreted. By bridging the gap between clinical coding systems and forensic needs, this tool could strengthen both scientific accuracy and legal clarity.
As forensic medicine continues to evolve, systems like the FDC could pave the way for more standardized, transparent, and impactful reporting worldwide.
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