Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Mar 17;3(3):e0001685.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001685. eCollection 2023.

Knowledge and attitudes toward complete diagnostic autopsy and minimally invasive autopsy: A cross-sectional survey in Hanoi, Vietnam

Ngan Ta Thi Dieu  1   2 , Nhung Doan Phuong  3 , My Nguyen Le Thao  3 , Mary Chambers  3   4 , Duy Manh Nguyen  5 , Ha Thi Lien Nguyen  1   2 , Huong Thi Thu Vu  1 , Thach Ngoc Pham  1 , Rogier van Doorn  4   6 , Jennifer Ilo Van Nuil  3   4
Affiliations

Knowledge and attitudes toward complete diagnostic autopsy and minimally invasive autopsy: A cross-sectional survey in Hanoi, Vietnam

Ngan Ta Thi Dieu et al. PLOS Glob Public Health. .

Abstract

Knowing the cause of death (CoD) plays an important role in developing strategies and interventions to prevent early mortality. In Vietnam, the CoD of the majority of patients who acquired infectious diseases remains unknown. While there are challenges that hinder the use of complete diagnostic autopsy (CDA) in practice, minimally invasive autopsy (MIA) might be a promising alternative to establish CoD in Vietnam. The current study aims to explore knowledge of and attitudes toward CDA and MIA in the wider population in Vietnam. The study was cross-sectional, using structured questionnaires that were disseminated electronically via several websites and as paper-based forms in a national level hospital in Vietnam. Descriptive analyses were performed and where appropriate, comparisons between the healthcare workers and the general public were performed. We included 394 questionnaires in the analysis. The majority of participants were under age 40, living in major cities and currently practicing no religion. 76.6% of respondents were aware of CDA and among them, 98% acknowledged its importance in medicine. However, most participants thought that CDA should only be performed when the CoD was suspicious or unconfirmed because of its the invasive nature. For MIA, only 22% were aware of the method and there was no difference in knowledge of MIA between healthcare workers and the wider public. The questionnaire results showed that there are socio-cultural barriers that hinder the implementation of CDA in practice. While the awareness of MIA among participants was low, the minimally invasive nature of the method is promising for implementation in Vietnam. A qualitative study is needed to further explore the ethical, socio-cultural and/or religious barriers that might hinder the implementation of MIA in Vietnam.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Benefits of CDA, as perceived by the participants.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Situations when CDA should be performed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ngo AD, Rao C, Hoa NP, Adair T, Chuc NTK. Mortality patterns in Vietnam, 2006: Findings from a national verbal autopsy survey. BMC Res Notes. 2010;3: 0–7. doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-3-78 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Walton M, Harrison R, Chevalier A, Esguerra E, Van Duong D, Chinh ND, et al.. Improving hospital death certification in Viet Nam: Results of a pilot study implementing an adapted WHO hospital death report form in two national hospitals. BMJ Glob Health. 2016;1: 1–10. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2015-000014 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Do AHL, van Doorn HR, Nghiem MN, Bryant JE, Hoang TH thi, Do QH, et al.. Viral Etiologies of Acute Respiratory Infections among Hospitalized Vietnamese Children in Ho Chi Minh City, 2004–2008. Jin D-Y, editor. PLoS One. 2011;6: e18176. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018176 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tan L Van, Qui PT, Ha DQ, Hue NB, Bao LQ, Cam B Van, et al.. Viral Etiology of Encephalitis in Children in Southern Vietnam: Results of a One-Year Prospective Descriptive Study. Singh SK, editor. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2010;4: e854. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000854 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Turner GDH, Bunthi C, Wonodi CB, Morpeth SC, Molyneux CS, Zaki SR, et al.. The Role of Postmortem Studies in Pneumonia Etiology Research. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2012;54: S165–S171. doi: 10.1093/cid/cir1062 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources