Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
A verbal autopsy (VA) is an interview carried out with family members and caregivers of the deceased, using a structured questionnaire to elicit signs and symptoms and other pertinent information that can later be used to assign a probable underlying cause of death. The results of the verbal autopsy interview may be analysed using a computer algorithm (automated verbal autopsy), which generates a probable cause of death based on the interviewee responses. Alternatively, a physician may review the results (physician-reviewed VA) and determine a probable cause of death.
Zambia
Legal Analysis
The Births and Deaths Registration Act and its subsidiary enactments are silent on the use of verbal autopsy. However, verbal autopsies are utilized in practice in some situations. It was reported in 2025 that Zambia has adopted the Sample Vital Registration with Verbal Autopsy (SAVVY) approach, a WHO-endorsed model that uses standardized interviews with next of kin to reconstruct the deceased's symptom profile, applying Physician-Certified Verbal Autopsy (PCVA) as an interpretation method to assign a probable cause of death.
Law Source
