Death certificate completion: how well are physicians trained and are cardiovascular causes overstated?

Purpose: To determine the ability of residents in completing death certificates correctly.

Methods: A total of 4800 residents were asked to complete a survey and cause-of-death statement using a sample case of in-hospital death due to urosepsis, of whom 590 residents (12%) responded. A scoring scale designed based on instructions from the National Association of Medical Examiners and the American College of Pathologists was used to measure responses quantitatively.