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Do doctors read forms? A one-year audit of medical certificates submitted to a crematorium
1Centre for Professional Ethics, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK.
Insights
Medical certificates for cremation are frequently incomplete or inaccurate, with only 41% of forms correctly completed. This highlights issues with medical documentation accuracy and the need for continued review by medical referees.
Area of Science:
- Medical Documentation
- Public Health
- Legal Medicine
Background:
- Accurate completion of medical certificates for cremation is crucial for legal and public health reasons.
- Previous assessments of medical certificate accuracy are limited.
- Ensuring the reliability of death certification is a public health priority.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy and completeness of medical certificates submitted for cremation.
- To identify common errors and the types of medical professionals contributing to them.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective audit of 835 medical certificates for cremation was conducted during routine processing.
- Data collected included the number of unanswered, incorrectly answered, or unclear questions on each form.
Main Results:
- Only 346 (41%) of the 835 forms were completed accurately without requiring further clarification.
- Junior doctors made the most errors, but general practitioners and consultants also contributed significantly to inaccuracies.
- The findings indicate a widespread issue with the thoroughness of medical certificate completion.
Conclusions:
- A significant proportion of medical certificates for cremation are completed with errors, compromising data reliability.
- The study underscores the necessity of rigorous review by a medical referee to ensure accuracy and completeness.
- Findings suggest potential issues with the reliability of information on other medical forms as well.
Abstract:
To determine the thoroughness and accuracy with which medical certificates for cremation are completed, a record was made, during normal processing of the documents, of the number of questions that were not answered or answered wrongly, or in which clarification was required. Of 835 sets of forms only 346 (41%) were completed sufficiently accurately for the cremation to proceed without further enquiry. Junior doctors contributed the most errors but general practitioners and consultants also contributed large numbers of errors. Doctors ought to be far more accurate and thorough in completing cremation certificates than were those audited here. The results cast doubt on the reliability of information supplied on other forms. In view of the high frequency of poorly completed forms, review by a medical referee remains essential.
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