Chapter 11: Symptom control and care towards the end of life
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Verification and certification of death
Definition
Verification of death involves determining whether a person is deceased (RCN [124]), formally documenting this, and notifying the necessary parties of any infectious illnesses and/or implantable devices. The time the death is verified is recognized as the official time of death (Wilson [166]).
Certification of death is the legal recording of a death and is achieved by the completion of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD); this is done by a medical practitioner in accordance with the Births and Deaths Registration Act ([12]). The medical practitioner completing the certificate must have seen the patient in the 14 days preceding the death or seen the body after death (Wilson [166]).
