Assessing the Potential of Mobile Phone Verbal Autopsies in Crisis Settings: A Case Study on Venezuela, 2024

jenny garcia, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Cruz Cordero, Universidad Catolica Andres Bello
Gerardo Correa, Universidad Católica Andrés Bello
Maria Di Brienza, Universidad Catolica Andres Bello
Stephane Helleringer, New York University Abu Dhabi

Verbal autopsies (VAs) are a data collection tool used to identify causes of death in areas lacking reliable death registration systems. Traditionally, VA studies have been conducted in person; however, recent research suggests that phone interviews can yield similarly satisfactory results. The objective of this study is to assess the potential of phone VAs data collection compared to in-person methods, using Venezuela as a case study. The sample for the study comes from household reporting deaths occurred between 2020 and 2023 collected by the ‘National Survey of Living Conditions’ 2023. Between March 25 and June 15, 2024, we conducted 526 interviews—231 telephonically and 265 in person—using an adapted version of the standard VA instrument released by WHO in 2022. We accessed the feasibility, acceptance, and quality of data obtained through phone VAs compared to in-person interviews. Preliminary results show similar levels of accuracy and respondent acceptance between the two methods. However, the main difference lies in the effectiveness of reaching the designated informants. The primary reasons for failed telephone contact were "unanswered calls" (42.4%). While mobile phone VAs offer logistical and financial advantages, particularly in crisis settings, the challenges of informant contact must be addressed to improve response rates.

Keywords: Data and Methods, Population, Shocks and Pandemics, Health and Morbidity, Mortality and Longevity

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