The death certificate is a useful document that serves a number of purposes. Above all, it is a medico-legal document, since it constitutes an obstacle to burial if it contains the “medico-legal obstacle” mention.
Materials and method: A prospective study was carried out on two hundred death certificates issued by Ibn Sina Hospital. The analysis is carried out according to a reestablished grid with determined variables, using the “Jamovi” statistical analysis software. We were interested in how this certification is carried out. We classified the errors into “minor” and “major” errors when it comes to editing and medical analysis.
Results: Two hundred death certificates (DCs) were studied; all DCs had errors especially in the completion of the “medical analysis” section. For example; a unique death mechanism without cause of death was found in 90% of the DCs; the cause of death was “unacceptable” in 15,5% of the DCs. Conclusion: Our results reflect the tendency observed in international literature. Therefore, it is mandatory for doctors to realize that drawing up a death certificate is first and foremost a medical act, and then a social and legal one. Consequently, the filling in of the death certificate must comply with WHO recommendations.

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