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Gausman J, Kenu E, Adanu R, Bandoh DAB, Berrueta M, Chakraborty S, Khan N, Langer A, Nigri C, Odikro MA, Pingray V, Ramesh S, Saggurti N, Vázquez P, Williams CR, Jolivet RR. Validating the indicator "maternal death review coverage" to improve maternal mortality data: A retrospective analysis of district, facility, and individual medical record data. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0303028. [PMID: 38768186 PMCID: PMC11104582 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding causes and contributors to maternal mortality is critical from a quality improvement perspective to inform decision making and monitor progress toward ending preventable maternal mortality. The indicator "maternal death review coverage" is defined as the percentage of maternal deaths occurring in a facility that are audited. Both the numerator and denominator of this indicator are subject to misclassification errors, underreporting, and bias. This study assessed the validity of the indicator by examining both its numerator-the number and quality of death reviews-and denominator-the number of facility-based maternal deaths and comparing estimates of the indicator obtained from facility- versus district-level data. METHODS AND FINDINGS We collected data on the number of maternal deaths and content of death reviews from all health facilities serving as birthing sites in 12 districts in three countries: Argentina, Ghana, and India. Additional data were extracted from health management information systems on the number and dates of maternal deaths and maternal death reviews reported from health facilities to the district-level. We tabulated the percentage of facility deaths with evidence of a review, the percentage of reviews that met the World Health Organization defined standard for maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response. Results were stratified by sociodemographic characteristics of women and facility location and type. We compared these estimates to that obtained using district-level data. and looked at evidence of the review at the district/provincial level. Study teams reviewed facility records at 34 facilities in Argentina, 51 facilities in Ghana, and 282 facilities in India. In total, we found 17 deaths in Argentina, 14 deaths in Ghana, and 58 deaths in India evidenced at facilities. Overall, >80% of deaths had evidence of a review at facilities. In India, a much lower percentage of deaths occurring at secondary-level facilities (61.1%) had evidence of a review compared to deaths in tertiary-level facilities (92.1%). In all three countries, only about half of deaths in each country had complete reviews: 58.8% (n = 10) in Argentina, 57.2% (n = 8) in Ghana, and 41.1% (n = 24) in India. Dramatic reductions in indicator value were seen in several subnational geographic areas, including Gonda and Meerut in India and Sunyani in Ghana. For example, in Gonda only three of the 18 reviews conducted at facilities met the definitional standard (16.7%), which caused the value of the indicator to decrease from 81.8% to 13.6%. Stratification by women's sociodemographic factors suggested systematic differences in completeness of reviews by women's age, place of residence, and timing of death. CONCLUSIONS Our study assessed the validity of an important indicator for ending preventable deaths: the coverage of reviews of maternal deaths occurring in facilities in three study settings. We found discrepancies in deaths recorded at facilities and those reported to districts from facilities. Further, few maternal death reviews met global quality standards for completeness. The value of the calculated indicator masked inaccuracies in counts of both deaths and reviews and gave no indication of completeness, thus undermining the ultimate utility of the measure in achieving an accurate measure of coverage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jewel Gausman
- Women and Health Initiative, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Maternal and Child Nursing Department, School of Nursing, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Ernest Kenu
- Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control, University of Ghana School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana
| | - Richard Adanu
- Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, University of Ghana School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana
| | - Delia A. B. Bandoh
- Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control, University of Ghana School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana
| | - Mabel Berrueta
- Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria (IECS)), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | | | - Ana Langer
- Women and Health Initiative, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Carolina Nigri
- Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria (IECS)), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Magdalene A. Odikro
- Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control, University of Ghana School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana
| | - Verónica Pingray
- Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria (IECS)), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | | | - Paula Vázquez
- Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria (IECS)), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Department of Health Science, Kinesiology, and Rehabilitation, Universidad Nacional de La Matanza, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Caitlin R. Williams
- Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria (IECS)), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Department of Maternal & and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - R. Rima Jolivet
- Women and Health Initiative, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Tunga M, Lungo JH, Chambua J, Kateule R, Lyatuu I. Exploring challenges and recommendations for verbal autopsy implementation in low-/middle-income countries: a cross-sectional study of Iringa Region-Tanzania. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e075399. [PMID: 38086579 PMCID: PMC10729186 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-075399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Verbal autopsy (VA) plays a vital role in providing cause-of-death information in places where such information is not available. Many low-/middle-income countries (LMICs) including Tanzania are still struggling to yield quality and adequate cause-of-death data for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS). OBJECTIVE To highlight challenges and recommendations for VA implementation to support LMICs yield quality and adequate mortality statistics for informed decisions on healthcare interventions. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. STUDY SETTING Iringa region in Tanzania. PARTICIPANTS 41 people including 33 community health workers, 1 VA national coordinator, 5 national task force members, 1 VA regional coordinator and 1 member of the VA data management team. RESULTS The perceived challenges of key informants include a weak death notification system, lengthy VA questionnaire, poor data quality and inconsistent responses, lack of clarity in the inclusion criteria, poor commitment to roles and responsibilities, poor coordination, poor financial mechanism and no or delayed feedback to VA implementers. Based on these findings, we recommend the following strategies for effective adaptation and use of VAs: (1) reinforce or implement legislative procedures towards the legal requirement for death notification. (2) Engage key stakeholders in the overall implementation of VAs. (3) Build capacity for data collection, monitoring, processing and use of VA data. (4) Improve the VA questionnaire and quality control mechanism for optimal use in data collection. (5) Create sustainable financing mechanisms and institutionalisation of VA implementation. (6) Integrating VA Implementation in CRVS. CONCLUSION Effective VA implementation demands through planning, stakeholder engagement, upskilling of local experts and fair compensation for interviewers. Such coordinated endeavours will overcome systemic, technical and behavioural challenges hindering VA's successful implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahadia Tunga
- Computer Science and Engineering, University of Dar es Salaam College of Engineering and Technology, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Juma Hemed Lungo
- Computer Science and Engineering, University of Dar es Salaam College of Engineering and Technology, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - James Chambua
- Computer Science and Engineering, University of Dar es Salaam College of Engineering and Technology, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Ruthbetha Kateule
- Computer Science and Engineering, University of Dar es Salaam College of Engineering and Technology, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
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Hua J, Li L, Ning P, Schwebel DC, He J, Rao Z, Cheng P, Li R, Fu Y, Li J, Wang W, Zhang N, Hu G. Road traffic death coding quality in the WHO Mortality Database. Bull World Health Organ 2023; 101:637-648. [PMID: 37772197 PMCID: PMC10523810 DOI: 10.2471/blt.23.289683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective To evaluate the precision and dependability of road traffic mortality data recorded in the World Health Organization Mortality Database and investigate how uncorrected data influence vital mortality statistics used in traffic safety programmes worldwide. Methods We assessed country and territory-specific data quality from 2015 to 2020 by calculating the proportions of five types of nonspecific cause of death codes related to road traffic mortality. We compared age-adjusted road traffic mortality and changes in the average annual mortality rate before and after correcting the deaths with nonspecific codes. We generated road traffic mortality projections with both corrected and uncorrected codes, and redistributed the data using the proportionate method. Findings We analysed data from 124 countries and territories with at least one year of mortality data from 2015 to 2020. The number of countries and territories reporting more than 20% of deaths with ill-defined or unknown cause was 2; countries reporting injury deaths with undetermined intent was 3; countries reporting unspecified unintentional injury deaths was 21; countries reporting unspecified transport crash deaths was 3; and countries reporting unspecified unintentional road traffic deaths was 30. After redistributing deaths with nonspecific codes, road traffic mortality changed by greater than 50% in 7% (5/73) to 18% (9/51) of countries and territories. Conclusion Nonspecific codes led to inaccurate mortality estimates in many countries. We recommend that injury researchers and policy-makers acknowledge the potential pitfalls of relying on raw or uncorrected road traffic mortality data and instead use corrected data to ensure more accurate estimates when improving road traffic safety programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Hua
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Li Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 172 Tong Zi Po Street, Changsha, 410072, China
| | - Peishan Ning
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 172 Tong Zi Po Street, Changsha, 410072, China
| | - David C Schwebel
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, United States of America
| | - Jieyi He
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 172 Tong Zi Po Street, Changsha, 410072, China
| | - Zhenzhen Rao
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 172 Tong Zi Po Street, Changsha, 410072, China
| | - Peixia Cheng
- Department of Child, Adolescent and Women's Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ruotong Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 172 Tong Zi Po Street, Changsha, 410072, China
| | - Yanhong Fu
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 172 Tong Zi Po Street, Changsha, 410072, China
| | - Jie Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 172 Tong Zi Po Street, Changsha, 410072, China
| | - Wanhui Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 172 Tong Zi Po Street, Changsha, 410072, China
| | - Na Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 172 Tong Zi Po Street, Changsha, 410072, China
| | - Guoqing Hu
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 172 Tong Zi Po Street, Changsha, 410072, China
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Vaman RS, Valamparampil MJ, Dalmita NJ, Reghukumar A, Anish TS. Immediate cause and the role of multimorbidity in deaths associated with COVID 19 among hospitalized patients in a low resource district in Kerala India: A record-based case-control analysis. J Family Med Prim Care 2023; 12:1593-1601. [PMID: 37767413 PMCID: PMC10521846 DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_2061_22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Multimorbidity is the coexistence of two or more chronic medical conditions in a person. The study aims to investigate the immediate cause of death and risk factors of mortality including multimorbidity among patients hospitalized with SARS CoV2 infection in Kasaragod district in Kerala, India. Methods A record-based case-control study was done using the hospital records and follow-up surveillance system of SARS-COV 2 patients admitted in the Kasaragod district. SARS-COV 2 patients who had expired during the study period from June to December 2020 and reported as COVID-19 deaths (N = 226) were the cases, and an equal number of hospital controls were the study participants. Results The mean (SD) age of the cases and controls were found to be 64.6 (14.2) years and 61.5 (13.4) years, respectively. Covid pneumonia alone was reported as the cause of death in more than half (52%) of the study participants. This was followed by cardiovascular events (8.5%) and acute kidney injury (6.5%). Among individual comorbidities among people who expired, diabetes mellitus (53%) was the most common, followed by hypertension (46%) and cardiovascular diseases (23%). More than 50% were found to have multimorbidity. Logistic regression showed chronic kidney disease (CKD) (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.18 (1.24-3.83)) and malignancy (AOR = 3.05 (1.27-7.32)) to be significantly associated with mortality as individual determinants. Hypertension-diabetes mellitus [AOR = 1.68 (1.02-2.76), P = 0.043] and hypertension-CKD [AOR = 3.49 (1.01-12.01), P = 0.48] dyads were multimorbidities significantly associated with mortality. Conclusion Combinations of hypertension with diabetes mellitus and CKD were found to be significant determinants for mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Uniformity in death certification is required to understand the causes and contributors to death in COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raman Swathy Vaman
- Scholar, ICMR School of Public Health, ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | | | | - Aravind Reghukumar
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Government Medical College, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
| | - T. S. Anish
- Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
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Mboera LEG, Kishamawe C, Rumisha SF, Chiduo MG, Kimario E, Bwana VM. Patterns and trends of in-hospital mortality due to non-communicable diseases and injuries in Tanzania, 2006-2015. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 3:e0000281. [PMID: 37410764 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Globally, non-communicable diseases (NCD) kill about 40 million people annually, with about three-quarters of the deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. This study was carried out to determine the patterns, trends, and causes of in-hospital non-communicable disease (NCD) and injury deaths in Tanzania from 2006-2015. METHODS This retrospective study involved primary, secondary, tertiary, and specialized hospitals. Death statistics were extracted from inpatient department registers, death registers, and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) report forms. The ICD-10 coding system was used to assign each death to its underlying cause. The analysis determined leading causes by age, sex, annual trend and calculate hospital-based mortality rates. RESULTS Thirty-nine hospitals were involved in this study. A total of 247,976 deaths (all causes) were reported during the 10-year period. Of the total deaths, 67,711 (27.3%) were due to NCD and injuries. The most (53.4%) affected age group was 15-59 years. Cardio-circulatory diseases (31.9%), cancers (18.6%), chronic respiratory diseases (18.4%), and injuries (17.9%) accounted for the largest proportion (86.8%) of NCD and injuries deaths. The overall 10-year hospital-based age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) for all NCDs and injuries was 559.9 per 100,000 population. It was higher for males (638.8/100,000) than for females (444.6/100,000). The hospital-based annual ASMR significantly increased from 11.0 in 2006 to 62.8 per 100,000 populations in 2015. CONCLUSIONS There was a substantial increase in hospital-based ASMR due to NCDs and injuries in Tanzania from 2006 to 2015. Most of the deaths affected the productive young adult group. This burden indicates that families, communities, and the nation at large suffer from premature deaths. The government of Tanzania should invest in early detection and timely management of NCDs and injuries to reduce premature deaths. This should go hand-in-hand with continuous efforts to improve the quality of health data and its utilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonard E G Mboera
- SACIDS Foundation for One Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Coleman Kishamawe
- National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza Research Centre, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | - Susan F Rumisha
- National Institute for Medical Research, Headquarters, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Malaria Atlas Project, Geospatial Health and Development, Telethon Kids Institute, West Perth, Western Australia
| | - Mercy G Chiduo
- National Institute for Medical Research, Tanga Research Centre, Tanga, Tanzania
| | - Evord Kimario
- National Institute for Medical Research, Headquarters, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Veneranda M Bwana
- National Institute for Medical Research, Amani Research Centre, Muheza, Tanzanian
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Tavakkoli M, Takian A, Mohammadi M, Heidari H, Kouchakinejad-Eramsadati L, Yousefzade-Chabok S, de Savigny D, Fink G, Künzli N, Cobos Muñoz D. Assessing the design of road traffic death information systems in Iran: A participatory systems approach. Int J Med Inform 2023; 172:105005. [PMID: 36787688 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2023.105005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
AIM To describe and analyze the information architecture and information pathways of the road traffic death recording, registration and reporting system in Guilan Province, northernIran. METHODS We used Business Process Mapping, a qualitative approach. This participatory and iterative approach consists of a document review, key informant interviews, development of a process map and a participatory workshop with key stakeholders to illuminate and validate the findings. We classified the tasks performed in the system into three phases: (1) Identification and recording; (2) Notification and registration, and (3) Production of statistics. RESULTS We identified 13 stakeholders, with operating and influencing roles in the process of identification, registration and production of statistics about road traffic deaths in Guilan province. The three main sources of road traffic death statistics are the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, the National Organization for Civil Registration and the Forensic Medicine Organization. Our results reveal a highly fragmented system with minimal cross-sectoral data exchange. Each stakeholder operates in a silo resulting in delays and redundancies in the operating system. In the absence of an effective communication among stakeholders, the information exchange was dependent on the family of the deceased. These fragmented information silos alter the compilation of cause of death statistics and result in under-reporting and discrepancies in road traffic deaths figures. CONCLUSIONS Designing a comprehensive road traffic information system that provides accurate and timely information requires an understanding of the information flow and the entangled web of different stakeholders operating in the system. Participatory systems approaches such as process mapping can assist in capturing the complexity of the system and the integration process by facilitating stakeholders' engagement and ownership in improving the design of the system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Tavakkoli
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Amirhossein Takian
- Department of Global Health & Public Policy, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahtab Mohammadi
- Deputy of Public Health, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Hamid Heidari
- Guilan Road Trauma Research Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | | | | | - Don de Savigny
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Günther Fink
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nino Künzli
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Cobos Muñoz
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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