Advances in verbal autopsy: pragmatic optimism or optimistic theory?

Excerpt

In recent decades, verbal autopsy (VA) methods have been increasingly used to identify likely causes of death in settings where the majority of deaths occur without medical attention or certification as to cause [1]. Developments in the 1980s and 1990s advanced the conceptual and methodological aspects of the science considerably but fell short of providing a clear message about best practices for those who rely on VA data [2‐10]. There has been a hiatus of methodological development since then, due in part to persistent, narrow assumptions as to the desire and need for cause of death data and unrealistic evaluation standards. This has not limited the application of VA methods in the world's poorest settings, but it has almost certainly limited the usefulness and comparability of the data. There remains scarce evidence on which to base choice of methods at the various stages of the VA data process. However, the first ever Global Congress on Verbal Autopsy, held in Bali, Indonesia in February 2011, represents a resurgence of methodological and conceptual developments - VA is arguably one of the most important fields in global health today. …