Quality of Medical Certification of Cause of Death in a City of Assam.

BACKGROUND: Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD) is essential for generating reliable mortality statistics, while errors in medical certification can affect disease surveillance and health planning. OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality of MCCD in Dibrugarh city, Assam. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, record-based study was conducted during 2024-2025 using MCCD records of deaths that occurred between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. RESULTS: Assessment of the quality of death certificates showed that the immediate cause of death was recorded in all certificates (100%), the antecedent cause in 73.8%, and other significant conditions in 18.7%. A complete causal sequence (immediate, antecedent, and other) was present in 18.5% of certificates, whereas only the immediate cause was documented in 25.9% and immediate + antecedent in 55.3% of certificates, indicating incomplete clinical documentation. Of 390 certificates, age was not recorded for 1.1% of certificates. No pediatric deaths were recorded during the study period. CONCLUSION: The study highlights deficiencies in the completeness and quality of MCCD, particularly in recording of causal sequences and essential variables. Strengthening training and standardization of certification practices is necessary to improve the reliability of mortality data for public health planning.