Reducing barriers to the accurate medical certification of cause of death

This paper identifies and discusses common barriers to the accurate medical certification of cause of death by physicians, and provides recommendations on ways the various actors and institutes can respond – including physicians, national medical associations, medical educators, healthcare facilities and government. This paper acknowledges the complexity of death certification due to underlying social and cultural ideas around death, as well as the need for physicians to receive full support to accurately perform a routine duty – the medical certification of cause of death.