Issue paper : death certification curriculum and infographic tutorials for physicians for certification of death World Health Organization

Abstract

Reliable and representative cause-of-death data, disaggregated by age, sex and cause of deaths are essential to inform public health policy, respond to emerging health needs and document progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. This information is abstracted from death certificates which are completed by trained physicians. Only high quality medical certificates of death are usable and the information abstracted from them has a major role in policy development, in decision-making and in monitoring the national health situation and health-care outcomes.