NCT04595656: SEACTN-VA

Defining Causes of Deaths in South and Southeast Asia

Completed Last updated 18 February 2026

What this trial tests

trial testing verbal autopsy interview in Cause of Mortality in 3,413 participants. Completed in 30 April 2024.

Timeline

1 September 2021

Primary endpoint
30 April 2024

30 April 2024

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University of Oxford
Status	Completed
Study type	OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment	3,413
Start date	1 September 2021
Primary completion	30 April 2024
Estimated completion	30 April 2024
Sites	5 locations across Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Bangladesh

Drugs / interventions tested

• verbal autopsy interview

Conditions studied

• Cause of Mortality — all drugs for Cause of Mortality →
• Cause of Neonatal Death — all drugs for Cause of Neonatal Death →
• Cause of Child Death — all drugs for Cause of Child Death →
• Cause of Maternal Death — all drugs for Cause of Maternal Death →

Sponsor

University of Oxford

Who can join

18 and older, any sex, with Cause of Mortality or Cause of Neonatal Death. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Brief Summary: Mortality data are important in low and middle-income countries to assess the population health status and trends. Mortality statistics in the populations of Bangladesh, Myanmar and Lao PDR are considered as generally limited and a recent assessment of vital registration systems of those countries reported a poor performance of the death registration system. Majority of deaths occur at home in rural area of those countries without cause of death assigned. To address this problem, the investigators will use verbal autopsy (VA) method developed by WHO to ascertain the cause of a death based on an interview with a family member or caregiver of deceased person to obtain information about causes of death in study rural communities. Death related to a specific cause will be defined by ICD-10 codes and described as primary, secondary or underlying COD. The study is planned to conduct in approximately 390 rural village communities covered by Southeast Asia clinical trial network (SEACTN) network in proposed 3 countries. The study findings will help establish a better understanding in signs, symptoms, medical history and circumstances preceding death; prioritize future interventions for early and effective diagnostics and treatment for diseases and how to keep mortality surveillance ongoing in study rural settings.

This study is funded by Welcome Trust. Welcome Trust grant reference number is \[215604/Z/19/Z\].

Publications & conference data

1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Ethical and cultural implications for conducting verbal autopsies in South and Southeast Asia: a qualitative study.
   Htun NSN, Perrone C, Phyo AP, Sen A, et al · · 2023 · cited 4× · PMID 38081771 · DOI 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013462