Verbal autopsy: advancing science, facilitating application

A great deal of research has been conducted in the past several decades about VA and its application in the field, particularly in research settings, but some traditional methods of implementation and analysis can be costly, time-consuming, and potentially of varying quality. Verbal autopsies can now be analyzed using a much wider array of innovative techniques, most of which will be less expensive and yield higher quality results than current practice. What has been missing from the field of verbal autopsy is a collection of the most up-to-date research to help decision-makers choose the best and most cost-effective VA techniques to identify causes of death in their populations.This thematic series of Population Health Metrics, "Verbal autopsy: innovations, applications, opportunities," was developed in response to this need. The research published in this thematic series emerged from the "Global Congress on Verbal Autopsy: State of the Science," held in Bali, Indonesia, in February 2011. The conference was co-sponsored by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the University of Queensland School of Population Health, and Population Health Metrics.The Congress convened the global research and policy community who currently work with VA data, or who could greatly benefit from doing so. The conference inspired vibrant discussions about critical aspects of VA, including instrument design, analysis methods, and the potential use of VA in national health information systems. By convening a wide array of participants with different perspectives, a greater exchange of ideas, collaboration, and intellectual innovation was encouraged to advance the use and understanding of VA as a mechanism for gathering valuable information about causes of death in populations. The innovative research presented at the conference has motivated the creation of a community of scientists, policymakers, and practitioners dedicated to furthering this important field of population healt