Your browser doesn't support javascript.
loading
Can verbal autopsies be used on a national scale? Key findings and lessons from South Africa's national cause-of-death validation study.
Maqungo, Monique; Nannan, Nadine; Nojilana, Beatrice; Nichols, Erin; Morof, Diane; Cheyip, Mireille; Rao, Chalapati; Lombard, Carl; Price, Jessica; Kahn, Kathleen; Martin, Lorna J; Bezuidenhout, Francois; Laubscher, Ria; Kabudula, Chodziwadziwa; Glass, Tracy; Awotiwon, Oluwatoyin; Zinyakatira, Nesbert; Funani, Noluntu; Joubert, Jané; Bradshaw, Debbie; Groenewald, Pamela.
Afiliación
  • Maqungo M; Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Parow Valley, Western Cape, South Africa.
  • Nannan N; Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Parow Valley, Western Cape, South Africa.
  • Nojilana B; Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Parow Valley, Western Cape, South Africa.
  • Nichols E; National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, MD, USA.
  • Morof D; U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Rockville, MD, USA.
  • Cheyip M; U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Rockville, MD, USA.
  • Rao C; Division of Global HIV & TB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Durban, South Africa.
  • Lombard C; Division of Global HIV/AIDS and TB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pretoria, South Africa.
  • Price J; Department of Global Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
  • Kahn K; Biostatistics Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Parow Valley, Western Cape, South Africa.
  • Martin LJ; SAMRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
  • Bezuidenhout F; SAMRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
  • Laubscher R; Division of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Kabudula C; GeoSpace International, Pretoria, South Africa.
  • Glass T; Biostatistics Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Parow Valley, Western Cape, South Africa.
  • Awotiwon O; SAMRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
  • Zinyakatira N; Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Parow Valley, Western Cape, South Africa.
  • Funani N; Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Parow Valley, Western Cape, South Africa.
  • Joubert J; Health Impact Assessment Unit, Western Cape Department of Health, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Bradshaw D; Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Parow Valley, Western Cape, South Africa.
  • Groenewald P; Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Parow Valley, Western Cape, South Africa.
Glob Health Action ; 17(1): 2399413, 2024 Dec 31.
Article en En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39269021
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Verbal autopsy (VA), though imperfect, serves as a vital tool to determine cause-of-death, particularly for out-of-facility deaths, but challenges persist in integrating VA into Civil Registration and Vital Statistics systems.

OBJECTIVE:

To describe the challenges and successes of collecting a national sample of verbal autopsy interviews in South Africa to obtain the cause of death profile in 2017/18.

METHODS:

We recruited next of kin from 27 randomly selected sub-districts (10.5%) across South Africa between September 2017 and April 2018. Trained fieldworkers conducted face-to-face interviews using the WHO2016 VA instrument, with physicians certifying underlying causes of death. Feasibility was evaluated based on response rates, participation, and data quality.

RESULTS:

Of the total 36,976 deaths registered, only 26% were identified during recruitment, with a 55% overall response rate for VA interviews. Physician-reviewed VA data were deemed of good quality for assigning underlying causes of death in 83% of cases. By comparing cause-specific mortality fractions, physician-reviewed VA identified 22.3% HIV/AIDS and InterVA-5 identified 18.5%, aligning with burden of disease estimates, while Statistics South Africa reported 4.9% HIV/AIDS.

CONCLUSIONS:

The study demonstrated the feasibility of using VA on a national scale, but immense challenges in identifying and recruiting next of kin highlight the importance of formalising VAs within the country's death notification system.
• Main

findings:

Next of kin of 9 730 decedents were approached at the time of registration of death and 55% consented to be approached later and agreed to do a VA interview by a trained field-worker; 83% of physician-reviewed VA data were considered high-quality for determining underlying causes and 22.3% of all the deaths were due to HIV/AIDS, much higher than the proportion reported in the national statistical office.• Added knowledge Implementing the VA on a national scale was achievable but significant challenges in recruiting next of kin, emphasising a need to formalise VAs within the country's death notification system.• Global health impact for policy and action Accurate cause-of-death data are crucial for policymakers to make informed decisions about the country's health system and could be supported by using VAs, particularly for the deaths that occur outside health facilities.
Asunto(s)
Palabras clave
Texto completo
Añadir a Mi BVS
Imprimir
XML
PubMed Links
Buscar en Google

Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Autopsia / Causas de Muerte Límite: Adult / Female / Humans / Male / Middle aged País/Región como asunto: Africa Idioma: En Revista: Glob Health Action Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article País de afiliación: Sudáfrica Pais de publicación: Estados Unidos
Texto completo
Añadir a Mi BVS
Imprimir
XML
PubMed Links
Buscar en Google

Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Autopsia / Causas de Muerte Límite: Adult / Female / Humans / Male / Middle aged País/Región como asunto: Africa Idioma: En Revista: Glob Health Action Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article País de afiliación: Sudáfrica Pais de publicación: Estados Unidos