Module 2 Guidelines for Completing the Medical Certificate of Death
Manner of Death- Section 11
11. Manner of death- as it relates to health care providers, you would only check natural in this section. If the death is caused by any of the other manners listed, other care providers would be completing the certificate.
Important Definitions
Natural Death
A death that is due solely or nearly totally to disease and/or the aging process. Deaths in which hot weather or cold weather seem to precipitate death primarily caused by underlying disease such as cardiovascular or respiratory illness may be classified as Natural.
Suicide
Suicide results from an injury or poisoning as a result of an intentional, self-inflicted act committed to do self harm or cause the death of one’s self.
Homicide
Homicide occurs when death results from an act committed by another person to cause fear, harm, or death. The intention to cause death is a common element but it is not required for classification as homicide. It is important that the classification of homicide for the purposes of death certification is a “neutral” term and neither indicates nor implies criminal intent, which remains a determination within the provincial legal processes.
Accident
Accident applies when an injury or poisoning causes death and there is little or no evidence that the injury or poisoning occurred with the intent to harm or cause death. In essence, the fatal outcome was unintentional.
Undetermined
Undetermined is a classification used when the information pointing to one manner of death is no more compelling than one or more of the other competing manners of death following thorough consideration of all available information.
Unclassified
Unclassified is a manner used exclusively by Medical Assistance in Dying providers.
(Hanzlick et al., 2002)