A Melbourne woman was shocked to learn friends were receiving condolences for her death after police misidentified a dead woman carrying her personal documents and medical records.

A Melbourne hospital apologises after mixing up the medical data of two people, resulting in one of them being wrongly declared dead by police.

A 55-year-old woman was found dead in Tarneit on May 13, Victoria Police said, and was initially misidentified as another woman of a similar age.

A Melbourne woman was shocked to learn friends were receiving condolences for her death after police misidentified a dead woman carrying her personal documents and medical records.