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Most Common MCCD Error — SCE Palliative Medicine MCQ

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EasyEnd of Life CareMost Common MCCD ErrorSCE Palliative Medicine

A palliative care consultant is asked to audit the quality of MCCD completion in her hospice. What is the most common error found on MCCDs?

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Correct answer: D — Use of modes of dying (e.g. cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, organ failure) as the cause of death in Part Ia — describing how the patient died, not what killed them

The most frequent substantive error identified in UK audit and guidance is listing ‘modes of dying’—for example, ‘cardiac arrest’ or ‘respiratory failure’—as the cause of death in Part Ia instead of naming a disease or pathological process. UK statutory guidance clearly states these terms are unacceptable as the sole cause of death because they describe how death occurred, not why. Administrative errors such as ink colour, date format or spelling are less consequential and not highlighted as common pitfalls in MCCD quality assurance.

Reference: Guidance for medical practitioners completing MCCDs in England and Wales (April 2025)