Are multiple coders needed for cause of death assignment: results from telephonic verbal autopsy interviews conducted in 2021 in South Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Verbal autopsy (VA) methods have emerged to estimate causes of death in populations lacking robust civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems. Despite World Health Organization endorsement of routine VA use, cost and efficiency concerns persist. Telephonic verbal autopsies (teleVAs) can reduce cost. Physician coding offers a valuable approach, but the expertise required makes it resource-intensive, often involving multiple coders for consensus.

Objective

To assess inter-coder agreement for cause of death (CoD) in South African teleVAs using Kappa statistics, evaluating if agreement surpasses a 0.8 cut-off (very high) potentially allowing single coders.

Methods

A cross-sectional study employed telephonic VA interviews on non-facility deaths in

SUBMITTER: Neethling I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11457238 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature