Optimum standardization of cause-of-death certification procedures in healthcare facilities: A medicolegal initiative
Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD) is a document with great medical, legal, and social significance. International organizations and literature are concerned with correct MCCD writing, whereas clinical certainty regarding the cause of death gained less attention. In the last ten years, 3...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Forensic Science International: Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665910723000245 |
| _version_ | 1797390409802973184 |
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| author | Mamdouh Kamal Zaki Zahraa Khalifa Sobh |
| author_facet | Mamdouh Kamal Zaki Zahraa Khalifa Sobh |
| author_sort | Mamdouh Kamal Zaki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD) is a document with great medical, legal, and social significance. International organizations and literature are concerned with correct MCCD writing, whereas clinical certainty regarding the cause of death gained less attention. In the last ten years, 32 studies from 21 countries reported error percentages in MCCD ranging from 20 % to 100 %. 21 out of 32 studies reported an error percentage > 90 %. Valid MCCD results from successful procedures that end with completing the death certificate form. Thus, any defect in the death management process yields an inaccurate MCCD. Therefore, the current research has in-depth looks at the radical reasons for incorrect MCCD; Egypt was selected as a country that reported a 100 % error percentage in MCCD. A focus group study was conducted through planned interviews and interactive workshops with MCCD providers until thematic saturation. All potential causes of incorrect MCCD were analyzed using root cause analysis (RCA) to explore improvement opportunities. A fishbone diagram was implemented to categorize causes of incorrect MCCD into personnel, procedures, measurements, materials, equipment, and environmental causes. Also, this research adopted a best practice approach for optimum death management resulting in error-free MCCD. The six-step approach consists of death confirmation, along with positive identification, communication with accompanying persons/relatives, postmortem examination, communication with legal authority, reporting of death, and finally, filling MCCD. This medicolegal initiative adopts quality tools to improve MCCD. Every healthcare system could benefit from this research to achieve error-free MCCD. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T23:11:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-44aec69a88804e20bf5b9c67634bba3d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2665-9107 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T23:11:18Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forensic Science International: Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-44aec69a88804e20bf5b9c67634bba3d2023-12-15T07:25:49ZengElsevierForensic Science International: Reports2665-91072023-12-018100329Optimum standardization of cause-of-death certification procedures in healthcare facilities: A medicolegal initiativeMamdouh Kamal Zaki0Zahraa Khalifa Sobh1Senior Consultant of Forensic Medicine, Cairo, EgyptForensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt; Corresponding author.Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD) is a document with great medical, legal, and social significance. International organizations and literature are concerned with correct MCCD writing, whereas clinical certainty regarding the cause of death gained less attention. In the last ten years, 32 studies from 21 countries reported error percentages in MCCD ranging from 20 % to 100 %. 21 out of 32 studies reported an error percentage > 90 %. Valid MCCD results from successful procedures that end with completing the death certificate form. Thus, any defect in the death management process yields an inaccurate MCCD. Therefore, the current research has in-depth looks at the radical reasons for incorrect MCCD; Egypt was selected as a country that reported a 100 % error percentage in MCCD. A focus group study was conducted through planned interviews and interactive workshops with MCCD providers until thematic saturation. All potential causes of incorrect MCCD were analyzed using root cause analysis (RCA) to explore improvement opportunities. A fishbone diagram was implemented to categorize causes of incorrect MCCD into personnel, procedures, measurements, materials, equipment, and environmental causes. Also, this research adopted a best practice approach for optimum death management resulting in error-free MCCD. The six-step approach consists of death confirmation, along with positive identification, communication with accompanying persons/relatives, postmortem examination, communication with legal authority, reporting of death, and finally, filling MCCD. This medicolegal initiative adopts quality tools to improve MCCD. Every healthcare system could benefit from this research to achieve error-free MCCD.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665910723000245Certification of cause of deathDeath notificationDead on arrivalMedicolegal initiative |
| spellingShingle | Mamdouh Kamal Zaki Zahraa Khalifa Sobh Optimum standardization of cause-of-death certification procedures in healthcare facilities: A medicolegal initiative Forensic Science International: Reports Certification of cause of death Death notification Dead on arrival Medicolegal initiative |
| title | Optimum standardization of cause-of-death certification procedures in healthcare facilities: A medicolegal initiative |
| title_full | Optimum standardization of cause-of-death certification procedures in healthcare facilities: A medicolegal initiative |
| title_fullStr | Optimum standardization of cause-of-death certification procedures in healthcare facilities: A medicolegal initiative |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimum standardization of cause-of-death certification procedures in healthcare facilities: A medicolegal initiative |
| title_short | Optimum standardization of cause-of-death certification procedures in healthcare facilities: A medicolegal initiative |
| title_sort | optimum standardization of cause of death certification procedures in healthcare facilities a medicolegal initiative |
| topic | Certification of cause of death Death notification Dead on arrival Medicolegal initiative |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665910723000245 |
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