Death certification practices of forensic physicians within the Strathclyde region of Scotland, UK

Data relating to the perceived and actual cause of death, in those dying in the community is sparse. This in part is related to how each country deals with death investigations and certification of death. Under common law in Scotland, sudden unexpected deaths are referred to the Procurator Fiscal. Autopsy is not always the final arbiter of truth. While actual figures are not available at present, anecdotally the police indicate that general practitioners (GPs) are often declining to attend or certify in the vast majority of cases. The purpose of this prospective observational study was to examine the certification practice of the forensic physicians working for Strathclyde Police. In conclusion, the results from this short study indicate that in cases where the cause of death for an individual, who died suddenly in the community and where an autopsy is deemed necessary, forensic physicians are no better or worse than a pathologist in predicting the underlying reason.