CoD Guide

In Sri Lanka, close to 50% of all deaths take place in hospitals and are certified

by doctors using the Death Declaration (Form B33). The Death Declaration is usually

written by the doctor who attended the deceased patient or was familiar with the

medical history of the patient. All cause of death (COD) statistics produced by the Civil

Registration and Vital Statistics System for hospital deaths are based on the underlying

cause of death derived from the Death Declaration. Analysis of these statistics are vital

to determine the country’s health priorities and prevention strategies. Lack of training for

doctors in correct medical certification of COD contribute to a high proportion of

unusable and poorly specified causes in the Sri Lankan COD distribution. This

interactive educational mobile app intends to improve accuracy of medical certification

of COD by educating doctors in correct medical certification practices.