Evaluation of errors in death certification by medical officers in an acute hospital

To identify the frequency and types of errors in the Medical Certificate Cause of Death (MCCD) completed by hospital medical officers for deceased older patients.

Among 127 deaths in a tertiary hospital acute geriatric unit between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022, a cause of death was documented for 116 patients (mean age 87.8, SD 5.7 years, 47% female, 39% from a nursing home). The MCCD was evaluated for errors as compared to national guidelines based on five criteria: mechanism without underlying cause; competing causes; improper sequencing; incomplete data; and use of abbreviations. The level of training of the documenting medical officer and whether the MCCD was completed out of usual working hours was evaluated with respect to errors.

At least one error was present in 60 (52%) of the MCCD evaluated, and there were two or more errors in 16 (14%). Most commonly, documenting competing causes of death was found in 45 (39%) of all MCCD, followed by missing data (10%) and improper sequencing (9%). MCCDs were mostly completed by postgraduate year (PGY) 1 or 2 medical officers (78%) and out-of-hours (in 72%). There was no significant difference in frequency of errors between junior and senior medical officers (p = 0.52) or if it was completed within or out-of-hours (p = 0.14).

The MCCD for deceased hospital patients often contained an error. Major improvement in the quality of death certification is needed among all medical officers.