Uncertainty and the reporting of intellectual disability on death certificates: a cross-sectional study of US mortality data from 2005 to 2017.

It is imperative that medical personnel not let increased uncertainty lead to the inaccurate reporting of intellectual disability as the underlying cause of death as this practice obscures cause of death trends for this population. Instead, even in instances when increased uncertainty surrounds the death, certifiers should strive to accurately identify the disease or injury causing death, and report the disability in Part II of the death certificate.