Use of Smartphone for Verbal Autopsy.
Traditionally, verbal autopsies (VA) are collected on paper-based questionnaires and reviewed by physicians for cause of death assignment, it is resource intensive and time consuming. The Population Health Metrics Research Consortium VA questionnaires was made available on an Android-based application and cause of death was derived using the Tariff method. Over one year, all adult deaths occurring in 48 villages in 4 counties were identified and a VA interview was conducted using the smartphone VA application. A total of 507 adult deaths were recorded and VA interviews were conducted. Cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death (35.3%) followed by injury (14.6%) and neoplasms (13.5%). The total cost of the pilot study was USD28 835 (USD0.42 per capita). The interviewers found use of smartphones to conduct interviews to be easier. The study showed that using a smartphone application for VA interviews was feasible for implementation in rural China.
1 Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, People's Republic of China.
Yi
Y
Zhao
2 The George Institute for Global Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Rohina
R
Joshi
3 University of Queensland, Herston, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Rasika
R
Rampatige
4 Center for Disease Control of Heibei, Shi Jiazhuang, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
Jixin
J
Sun
5 The George Institute for Global Health at Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Liping
L
Huang
6 Global Health Research Center, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
Shu
S
Chen
2 The George Institute for Global Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Ruijun
R
Wu
2 The George Institute for Global Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Bruce
B
Neal
7 Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Alan D
AD
Lopez
8 Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Andrea L
AL
Stewart
8 Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Peter T
PT
Serina
9 Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Cong
C
Li
5 The George Institute for Global Health at Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Jing
J
Zhang
6 Global Health Research Center, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
Jianxin
J
Zhang
1 Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, People's Republic of China.
Yuhong
Y
Zhang
5 The George Institute for Global Health at Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China.|6 Global Health Research Center, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
Lijing L
LL
Yan
D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy / Q000379:methods*; D002423:Cause of Death; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012424:Rural Population; D000068997:Smartphone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
demography; epidemiology; global health; health informatics; verbal autopsy