Verbal Autopsy through the use of Mobile Phones

What is the acceptability and feasibility of giving cause of death information generated by Mobile InterVA to families of the deceased in rural Nepal?

Project Summary

The births and deaths of two-thirds of the world’s population go unrecorded. This project examines the feasibility and ethical acceptability of Mobile InterVA (MIVA), a new low-cost mobile system for recording probable cause of death.

MIVA uses a simple computer programme to determine probable causes of death, which means that families can be informed much more quickly than with traditional forms of verbal autopsy. However, it also raises significant ethical questions.

This project will use interviews with professionals and families to explore how people respond to the death of a family member, and how MIVA can be used most effectively and appropriately in rural Nepali settings.