title: Commitment in the completion of the medical death certification. Evaluation in Belém, Pará, Brazil in 2010.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the completion of medical certificates of death in Belém, state of Pará, Brazil in 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the present study, 800 medical certificates of non-violent death, randomly chosen, and produced in 2010 were analyzed. Regarding correct completion, all fields of the document were evaluated, except for fields I (reserved for civil registries), V (stillbirth or death under age of one year), and VIII (external causes/violent death). Each field was analyzed regarding the following parameters: incomplete fields, fields left blank, illegibility, and incorrect completions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on the data collected, very high rates of errors in completion were observed; 98.7% of the certificates had at least one mistake. The most remarkable and important mistakes were found in field VI, intended for the cause of death, with a frequency of error of 71.5%, especially due to vagueness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The very high rates of poorly completed medical certificates of death highlights a significant failure in the medical schools' curriculum, as well as a lack of continuing medical education programs addressing such topic of paramount importance. The results demonstrated neglect or lack of knowledge on the pathophysiology of diseases by physicians.
authors.affiliation: Medical School, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: José Antônio Cordero da
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Vitor Nagai
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Yamaki
authors.forename: João Paulo Santiago de
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Renan Kleber Costa
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: Felipe Augusto Folha
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Victor Seiji Nascimento
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Hosoume
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D002423:Cause of Death; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003644:Death Certificates; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Avaliação; Brain death; Declaração de óbito; Evaluation; Medical certificate of death; Morte encefálica