National Vital Statistics System

Death Certification: Writing Cause-of-Death Statements

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Cause-of-death information is valuable to families and to public health — and getting it right matters.

Cause-of-death statements on death certificates capture the sequence of events leading to death, plus the time interval between the onset of each condition and death. When a death occurs, a certifier must determine the cause(s) of death and accurately report it on the death certificate.

Guidelines for who can certify a death can vary by jurisdiction, but the certifier is typically a physician, medical examiner, or coroner. This page contains general and topic-specific guidance to help medical certifiers correctly report the cause(s) of death on the death certificate.

Physician’s Handbook on Medical Certification of Death
Medical Examiners and Coroners Handbook: Death Registration and Fetal Death Reporting 
Possible Solutions to Common Problems in Death Certification
Improving Cause of Death Reporting: Online Training
Instructions for Completing the Cause-of-Death Section of the Death Certificate
Cause of Death Mobile App

Specific Topics of Interest

Related Links

  • NCHS helps the process of Death Certification by proving innovative tools to make the process more streamlined.