Collecting verbal autopsies: improving and streamlining data collection processes using electronic tablets.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Verbal autopsy is crucial for estimating population-level causes of death.
• Paper-based data collection poses challenges for scaling up verbal autopsy surveillance.
• Electronic data capture offers a solution to reduce processing time and costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the cost and time efficiency of paper-based versus electronic data capture for verbal autopsy.
• To extrapolate findings for large-scale national surveillance systems.

Main Methods:

• Verbal autopsy interviews were conducted using both paper and electronic tablets at two sites.
• Costs and time for survey processing were measured.
• Data were extrapolated to estimate costs for large-scale surveillance.

Main Results:

• Paper-based data entry took approximately 3 months, while electronic data capture took less than 2 days.
• Electronic tablets had higher upfront costs for small-scale surveys.
• For large-scale surveys, electronic data capture proved more cost-effective due to reduced data entry expenses.

Conclusions:

• Electronic data capture significantly streamlines verbal autopsy data collection.
• Implementing electronic systems is vital for sustainable, large-scale national vital statistical systems.
• This approach reduces costs and accelerates data availability for public health insights.