title: Willingness to Know the Cause of Death and Hypothetical Acceptability of the Minimally Invasive Autopsy in Six Diverse African and Asian Settings: A Mixed Methods Socio-Behavioural Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The minimally invasive autopsy (MIA) is being investigated as an alternative to complete diagnostic autopsies for cause of death (CoD) investigation. Before potential implementation of the MIA in settings where post-mortem procedures are unusual, a thorough assessment of its feasibility and acceptability is essential.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We conducted a socio-behavioural study at the community level to understand local attitudes and perceptions related to death and the hypothetical feasibility and acceptability of conducting MIAs in six distinct settings in Gabon, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, and Pakistan. A total of 504 interviews (135 key informants, 175 health providers [including formal health professionals and traditional or informal health providers], and 194 relatives of deceased people) were conducted. The constructs "willingness to know the CoD" and "hypothetical acceptability of MIAs" were quantified and analysed using the framework analysis approach to compare the occurrence of themes related to acceptability across participants. Overall, 75% (379/504) of the participants would be willing to know the CoD of a relative. The overall hypothetical acceptability of MIA on a relative was 73% (366/504). The idea of the MIA was acceptable because of its perceived simplicity and rapidity and particularly for not "mutilating" the body. Further, MIAs were believed to help prevent infectious diseases, address hereditary diseases, clarify the CoD, and avoid witchcraft accusations and conflicts within families. The main concerns regarding the procedure included the potential breach of confidentiality on the CoD, the misperception of organ removal, and the incompatibility with some religious beliefs. Formal health professionals were concerned about possible contradictions between the MIA findings and the clinical pre-mortem diagnoses. Acceptability of the MIA was equally high among Christian and Islamic communities. However, in the two predominantly Muslim countries, MIA acceptability was higher in Mali than in Pakistan. While the results of the study are encouraging for the potential use of the MIA for CoD investigation in low-income settings, they remain hypothetical, with a need for confirmation with real-life MIA implementation and in populations beyond Health and Demographic Surveillance System areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed a high level of interest in knowing the CoD of a relative and a high hypothetical acceptability of MIAs as a tool for CoD investigation across six distinct settings. These findings anticipate potential barriers and facilitators, both at the health facility and community level, essential for local tailoring of recommendations for future MIA implementation.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça, Maputo, Mozambique.|ISGlobal, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maixenchs
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça, Maputo, Mozambique.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anselmo
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-Kenya), Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zielinski-Gutiérrez
authors.affiliation: Kenya Medical Research Institute, Centre for Global Health Research, Kisumu, Kenya.
authors.forename: Frank O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Odhiambo
authors.affiliation: Kenya Medical Research Institute, Centre for Global Health Research, Kisumu, Kenya.
authors.forename: Clarah
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Akello
authors.affiliation: Kenya Medical Research Institute, Centre for Global Health Research, Kisumu, Kenya.
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8801-7258
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ondire
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: S Shujaat H
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Zaidi
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Sajid Bashir
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Soofi
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.|Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Zulfiqar A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Bhutta
authors.affiliation: Centre pour le Développement des Vaccins (CVD-Mali), Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: Kounandji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Diarra
authors.affiliation: Centre pour le Développement des Vaccins (CVD-Mali), Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: Mahamane
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Djitèye
authors.affiliation: Centre pour le Développement des Vaccins (CVD-Mali), Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: Roukiatou
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dembélé
authors.affiliation: Centre pour le Développement des Vaccins (CVD-Mali), Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: Samba
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sow
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Hôpital Albert Schweitzer, Lambaréné, Gabon.
authors.forename: Pamela Cathérine Angoissa
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Minsoko
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Hôpital Albert Schweitzer, Lambaréné, Gabon.|Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Selidji Todagbe
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Agnandji
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Hôpital Albert Schweitzer, Lambaréné, Gabon.|Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1427-3002
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lell
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Maputo Central Hospital, Maputo, Mozambique.|Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Mamudo R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Maputo Central Hospital, Maputo, Mozambique.|Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carrilho
authors.affiliation: ISGlobal, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jaume
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ordi
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça, Maputo, Mozambique.|ISGlobal, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Menéndez
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça, Maputo, Mozambique.|ISGlobal, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Quique
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Bassat
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça, Maputo, Mozambique.|Faculty of Medicine, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique.
authors.forename: Khátia
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3888-5126
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Munguambe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001344:Autopsy / Q000379:methods*; D002423:Cause of Death; D003643:Death; D005260:Female; D005681:Gabon; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D008297:Male; D008302:Mali; D008875:Middle Aged; D009073:Mozambique; D010154:Pakistan; D055815:Young Adult