The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death is an important medicolegal document; however, many medical practitioners receive little formal training regarding its completion.

The aim of this three-part series is to provide a helpful resource for GPs to understand the legislative requirements of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death.

In part 2 of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death series, we describe the format of the death certificate and best practice in completion of a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death.

Part 3 of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death series investigates the special situations and considerations that can arise as part of the process of completing a death certificate.