The Burden of Disease Research Unit is conducting a national study to investigate the cause-of-death information provided on death notifications. 27 health sub-districts have been sampled across SA (3 per province) to provide a sample of approximate 13 000 deaths during September 2017-April 2018. The selected areas are shown in the map below.
Working in collaboration with Epicentre, the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the South African Funeral Practitioners Association (SAFPA) and the Department of Home Affairs, families who recently lost a loved one were identified and requested to participate in the study.
Home visits were undertaken undertaken from August 2018 – April 2019, in collaboration with GeoSpace International, to interview the next-of-kin or the person who cared for the deceased, to find out about any illnesses or conditions that may have resulted in the death. The 2016 WHO Verbal Autopsy instruments were used.
A team of doctors were trained to identify the cause of death and the data are currently being analysed with the view to evaluate the information that was provided on the death notification at the time of death.
- Guidelines for reviewers: Medical certification of Cause of Death
- Training manual for medical doctors for reviewing verbal autopsy, medical and forensic records (v)
- Guidelines for medical certification of cause of death, verbal autopsy review, medical record review, and forensic record review (viv)
- Doctor reviewer technical support document (xvi)
- Medical certification of cause of death training – powerpoint (vi)
- Verbal autopsy physician assessment training - powerpoint (vii)
- Medical cause of death certification classroom assignment - powerpoint (viii)
- Verbal autopsy review classroom assignment - powerpoint (ix)
- Medical cause of death certification home assignment - powerpoint (x)
- Verbal autopsy review narratives home assignment - (xi)
- Verbal autopsy review anon data home assignment - Excel (xii)
- Clinician reviewer competency test - powerpoint (xiii)
A free online course for medical students and doctors to learn to correctly complete a medical certificate of cause of death and when to refer to forensic pathology. The alpha version can be found at:
Available on request from pam.groenewald@mrc.ac.za
- Fieldworker training manual (iii)
- Fieldworker training presentations - powerpoint (iv)
- Translated verbal autopsy questionnaires - KoboTools
- Report 1 | Methodology and Description of a National Sample of Verbal Autopsies
- Report 2 | Underlying cause of death based on a sample of Medical Records from Public Sector Hospitals and Forensic Pathology Service Mortuaries
- Report on the quality of Physician Reviewed Verbal Autopsies cause-of death data using ANACONDA for the South African National Cause-of-Death Validation Project
Chair
- Dr Niresh Bhagwandin
Executive Manager: Strategic Research Initiatives, SAMRC
Co-Ordinator
- Ms Noluntu Funani
Project Manager: Burden of Disease Research Unit, SAMRC
Members
- Ms Thulile Zonde/Mr Tshilidze Muthivhi
National Department of Health - Mr Norman Ramashia/Mr Aaron Ramodumo
Department of Home Affairs - Ms Gwen Lehloenya/Dr Christine Khoza
Statistics South Africa - Prof Lorna Martins
University of Cape Town - Mr Yongama Qunu
National Funeral Directors Association - Ms Martie Botha
South African Funeral Practitioners Association - Mrs Mireille Cheyib/Dr Diane Morof
CDC South Africa
National Department of Health, Statistics South Africa, Department of Home Affairs, Epicentre
Prof. Chalapati Rao
Associate Professor at the Department of Global Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University College of Medicine, Biology & Environment, Canberra, Australia. Provides technical advice regarding conceptualization, methodology, data extraction, data capture, data analysis, and interpretation and dissemination of results. Advises on and offers training of medical doctors on cause-of-death attribution.
Ms Cherie Cawood
Founding member of Epicentre AIDS Risk Management, SA. Provides technical and implementation support around fieldwork planning and execution and data collection.
Dr Erin Nichols (SEV #13740)*
Epidemiologist at the International Statistics Program, National Center for Health Statistics, CDC, Hyattsville, Maryland, USA. Provides technical advice regarding conceptualization, protocol development, and data analysis. Contributes to write up of results.
Dr Estevão Afonso
Specialist Forensic Pathologist, Division of Forensic Medicine, University of Stellenbosch. Provides advice regarding data collection and capturing of forensic record reviews.
Mr Francios Bezuidenhout
GIS Manager at Geospace International. Contributes to tool development, data collection and quality control.
Dr Jessica Price
Research Fellow based in the MRC/Wits Agincourt Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit. Contributes to the tool development, fieldwork training, data analysis and writing.
Prof. Johan Dempers
Head and Specialist Forensic Pathologist: Division of Forensic Medicine, University of Stellenbosch. Provides advice regarding review of forensic record reviews, analysis and interpretation.
Mr Kassahun Ayalew (SEV # 8117)*
Formerly statistician at the CDC, Pretoria, SA. Contributes to protocol development, data analysis, and report writing.
Prof. Kathleen Kahn
Professor at the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, SA; Senior Scientist at the SAMRC/Witwatersrand University Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt); Faculty member at the Harvard Centre for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Provides technical advice regarding data collection, data capturing, and data analysis. Contributes to interpretation and write up of results.
Prof. Lorna Martin
Head and Specialist Forensic Pathologist: Division of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, University of Cape Town. Provides advice regarding data collection and capturing for forensic record reviews.
Ms Megan Prinsloo
Senior Scientist, Burden of Disease Research Unit, SAMRC with experience in injury epidemiology. Contributes to development of data system, fieldwork, and analysis.
Mrs Mireille Cheyip (SEV # 11361)*
Senior Public Health Specialist at the CDC, Pretoria, SA. Contributes to protocol development, data analyses, and report writing.
Dr Nadine Nannan
Specialist Scientist, Burden of Disease Research Unit, SAMRC. Specializes in demography with a focus on child births and mortality. Contributes to data collection, analysis, and report writing.
Mr Nesbert Zinyakatira
Demographer, Western Cape Department of Health. Specializing in demography with focus on population projections, mortality estimation, and data linkage. Contributes to data linking, data analysis, and reporting
Prof. Sam Clark
Formal demographer, Department of Sociology, The Ohio State University. Contributes to the analysis of verbal autopsy data.
Dr Tshilidzi Muthivhi
Director Health Research, National Department of Health. Provides input on data collection for infectious diseases.
Dr Beatrice Nojilana
Specialist Scientist: Burden of Disease Research Unit, SAMRC. Provides technical advice regarding coding of cause of death and interpretation of results.
Dr Carl Lombard
Former Director: Biostatistics Unit, SAMRC. Provides technical advice on sampling and statistical methods.
Dr Diane Morof (SEV #4764)*
Associate Director for Science CDC South Africa, Pretoria, SA. Provides technical advice on project data analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of results, particularly in the area of maternal mortality. Provides technical advice on project data analysis, interpretation and dissemination of results, particularly in the area of maternal mortality.
Dr Erin Nichols (SEV #13740)*
Epidemiologist, Global Program for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Improvement in the International Statistics Program, CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Provides technical advice on project planning, logistics, data analysis and dissemination of results.
Dr Frank Odhiambo
Epidemiologist, Program Director TAPHIK, University of Maryland. Provides technical advice on fieldwork training for conducting verbal autopsy interviews.
Dr Getahun Aynalem (SEV # 17998)*
Surveys and Surveillance and Operational Research Lead at CDC, Pretoria, SA. Provides technical advice regarding conceptualization, data analysis, and dissemination of results.
Dr Ian Neethling
Specialist Scientist, Burden of Disease Research Unit, SAMRC. Specializes in burden of disease data. Provides technical advice regarding data linkage.
Dr Lyn Hanmer
Specialist Scientist, Burden of Disease Research Unit, SAMRC. Specializes in health information systems. Provides technical advice regarding health information systems.
Ms Mmamokete Mogoswane
Director: Mortality and Causes of Death Data Processing, Health and Vital Statistics, STATS SA, Pretoria, SA. Provides technical advice regarding processing of death notification forms and cause of death data.
Ms Mosidi Nhlapo
Chief Survey Statistician, Health and Vital Statistics, STATS SA, Pretoria. Provides technical advice regarding vital statistics system.
Prof Sam Notzon
Former Director: Global Program for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Improvement in the International Statistics Program, CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Provides technical advice regarding vital statistics systems and the use of verbal autopsy.
Ms Sizzy Ngobeni
Project Coordinator: SAMRC/Witwatersrand University Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt). Provides technical advice on conducting verbal autopsy interviews and large-scale training of field workers.
Dr Oluwatoyin Awotiwon
Senior Scientist: Burden of Disease Research Unit, SAMRC. Provides technical support in clinical coding and interpretation of data.
Dr Victoria Pillay-van Wyk
Co-Director: Burden of Disease Research Unit, SAMRC. Specializes in infectious disease and burden of disease research with experience in national surveys. Provides technical advice on survey planning and implementation.
*CDC staff involvement does not constitute ‘engagement in human subjects research.’ CDC staff will not have access to individually identifiable private information or intervene/interact with study participants.
- President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Cooperative Agreement SAMRC-CDC CoAG 1U2GGH01150
- Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative through the CDC Foundation Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Project
- South African Medical Research Council.