Strengthening Mortality Surveillance (SMS) for improved monitoring of HIV/AIDS, TB and COVID-19 in South Africa

The purpose of this project was to respond to a gap in the South African district health information system regarding access to timeous and accurate cause-of-death data, particularly for HIV/AIDS and TB  during the Covid-19 epidemic. 

This study tested whether conducting verbal autopsies—interviews with families to understand the cause of death—could be done effectively over the phone in South Africa. Researchers worked in both urban and rural areas, interviewing 229 people and speaking in depth with respondents and interviewers about their experiences. Most participants were open to taking part and saw telephonic verbal autopsies as useful for improving public health information. While the quality of information collected was similar to face-to-face interviews, challenges included reaching relatives due to missing or incorrect phone numbers. The study shows that phone-based verbal autopsies are both possible and acceptable, but to work well they need good planning, strong links with national registration systems, and engagement with local communities.