Conducting verbal autopsy by telephone interview during the pandemic to support mortality surveillance: a feasibility study in Malaysia

Abstract

Objective: Verbal autopsy (VA) through face-to-face interviews with caregivers is a way to determine cause of death without medical certification. In Malaysia, the use of VA has improved mortality statistics. However, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, face-to-face interviews were delayed, reducing VA data collection and affecting data for mortality surveillance. This study aims to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of conducting VA interviews via telephone calls, and the quality of the data gathered. Methods: The study was conducted in Malaysia from September to October 2020 using a cross-sectional design. Participants were health-care workers from established VA teams across the country. They conducted VA interviews via telephone and provided feedback through a customized online form. Data collected from the form were used to assess the feasibility, acceptability and quality of the telephone interviews using IBM SPSS version 23. Results: Responses were received from 113 participants. There were 74 (65.5%) successful interviews, representing 91% of the 81 cases who were able to be contacted. More than two thirds of health-care workers provided positive feedback on the telephone interview method for themselves and the interviewees. Only 10.8% of causes of death were unusable. Discussion: This study provides preliminary evidence that VA via telephone interview is feasible, acceptable and can be used as an alternative to face-to-face interviews without affecting data quality. During times when face-to-face interviews are not advisable, VA telephone interviews can be used for data collection for mortality surveillance.

Community perception of causes of death using verbal autopsy for diabetes mellitus in Saudi Arabia

“…Nevertheless, numerous studies have found that telephone interviews are as effective as face-to-face interviews [ 78 , 79 ]. According to one study, the results of VA interviews via phone calls were consistent with previous literature, which found that the telephone interview method to be feasible, accepted by caregivers and healthcare workers, and has a reliable level of data quality [ 80 ]. One potential issue with VA interviews is the risk of selection bias.…”

Dying to make a care policy: Community perception of causes of deaths using standardized verbal autopsy method: Saudi type 2 diabetes mellitus register data

“…Nevertheless, numerous studies have found that telephone interviews are as effective as faceto-face interviews [71,72]. According to one study, the results of VA interviews via phone calls were consistent with previous literature, which found that the telephone interview method to be feasible, accepted by caregivers and healthcare workers, and has a reliable level of data quality [73]. Given the ethical nature of VA, it can arguably be said that conducting distant VA interviews on a fairly small sample in an area where VA has never been practiced before can be viewed as a strength in this study from an ethical perspective, which has the potential of reducing unwanted emotional or cultural consequences.…”

Role and effectiveness of telephone hotlines in outbreak response in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…All the studies included in our systematic review with data on deaths reported were from the Sierra Leone hotline. Out of Africa, researchers in Malaysia showed that it was feasible to use mobile phones to support mortality surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic where face-to-face contacts were severely restricted [ 43 ]. Also, in non-outbreak settings, some studies have shown the usefulness of mobile telephones.…”