Death Certification by a medical officer comprises of two components:
1. Certifying the fact of death (or declaring dead) &
Both are important
2. Identifying the cause of death [this is called Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD)]
1. Certifying the fact of death (or declaring dead)
Declaring a death only to discover that the patient later woke up is not acceptable and can be very embarrassing
It is important that a doctor is familiar with the requirements in his/her specialty as to what should be undertaken to establish the fact of death
As a minimum, a full set of observations should be undertaken and documented, in particular placing a stethoscope on the patient’s chest [Remember ABC = airway, breathing and circulation]
2. Identifying the cause of death [this is called Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD)]
Identifying the cause of death is a vital step in death certification
The cause of death is not the same across the globe and differs from place to place
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