DRAFT
Electronic Forms
Guide
Three core forms are needed for SRS data collection. These interact with the Data Collection platform discussed in Infrastructure and Databases. For each form, we provide a guide intended for field supervisors. The guides outline key requirements and procedures for field work as well as a list of data elements that will be collected. Additionally, for each form there is a paper version and an ODK XLSX configuration document.
- Household Registration
- Event Reporting
- Verbal Autopsy
If choosing to add Social Autopsy to your SRS, that can either be administered as an additional fourth form or integrated with the Verbal Autopsy form. Integration with Verbal Autopsy is preferable for reducing data collection burden.
Sustainability Tip: When do you modify forms?
To best ensure stability of the entire SRS system, modify forms on a planned schedule in close coordination with all program stakeholders. Modifying the forms often has ramifications in other aspects of SRS, such as changing field names that might break Data Science visualizations. Setting a specific time—such as once a year— when the existing forms can undergo an evaluation and revision can allow for coordinated upgrades, minimizing possible unanticipated disruption.
Tools
Household Registration
One of the first steps of Data Collection is conducting the Household Registration, which includes counting and registering every household in each sampled cluster. The tools provided here include a guide, a paper registration tool, and an electronic data collection tool configured for ODK-compatible systems.
- Household Registration Guide (docx)
- Household Registration Paper Tool (docx) Paper version
- Household Registration ODK Tool (xlsx) ODK XLSX Configuration file
Events Reporting
During normal SRS operations, the data collector tracks events (pregnancies, pregnancy outcomes, and deaths) in the registered households within the cluster. The tools provided here include a guide, three separate paper registration tools for each event type, and a single electronic data collection tool configured for ODK-compatible systems.
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Events Reporting Guide (docx) A guide for recording pregnancies, pregnancy outcomes, and deaths. Note, the paper versions are broken down into separate documents. The ODK XLSX combines the events into a single form to simplify the work of the data collector.
- Events Reporting Paper Tools
- Events Reporting ODK Tool (xlsx)
Verbal Autopsy
The standard Verbal Autopsy instrument is developed and released by WHO. The paper WHO tools are broken down by age group (Neonate, Child, and Adult), whereas the ODK XLSX tool combines all ages into a single form. The form collects detailed information from a close respondent about the signs, symptoms, and events before a person’s death.
Tech Tip: Verbal Autopsy Processing
The current version of the WHO Verbal Autopsy instrument (2022) only has provisional, unvalidated computer coded algorithms to assign cause of death (for more information, see Data Science). Choose the version of the Verbal Autopsy form in consultation with Science and IT teams based on availability of tools and software. For this reason, both the 2022 and 2016 instruments are listed below; full computer coded cause of death algorithms exist for the 2016 instrument.
2022 WHO Verbal Autopsy Instrument
- Verbal Autopsy Adult Paper Tool (WHO 2022) (pdf)
- Verbal Autopsy Child Paper Tool (WHO 2022) (pdf)
- Verbal Autopsy Neonate Paper Tool (WHO 2022) (pdf)
- VA ODK Tool (WHO 2022) (xlsx)
2016 WHO Verbal Autopsy Instrument
Note: paper forms do not exist for the WHO 2016 instrument. For more information on the WHO 2016 version, see the WHO resource package.
Social Autopsy
The Social Autopsy is an optional instrument that provides greater detail about the community and circumstances of the deceased. The Social Autopsy can be collected as a separate instrument, or it can be collected in a combined form including the Verbal Autopsy. The combined version streamlines the process for the data collector and the respondent.
Social Autopsy is not a core component of SRS and should be considered optional information, prioritized after successful implementation of core pregnancy, pregnancy outcome, and death data elements. For more information on social autopsy and the related forms, see Step 5 in the core VIVA guide.
Software
None specifically; however, as mentioned previously in Infrastructure & Databases, choosing an ODK-based Data Collection platform is recommended for easy compatibility with the Tools identified here.
Stories
Zambia
Zambia’s Births and Deaths Registration Act of 1973/Rev. 1994 provides for a uniform law for the registration of all births and deaths in Zambia, without distinction of origin or descent. This law has been operationalized into a series of forms and collected data elements that are then tracked and processed for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) by the Department of National Registration, Passport, and Citizenship (DNRPC).
Because the SRS will discover births and deaths in community settings that may not otherwise be registered with DNRPC, the Zambia SRS team desired to use the SRS processes and procedures to also complete registration. To accomplish this goal, they added extra data elements to the standard birth and death event forms linked on this webpage to collect all relevant information for formal registration. This enabled the community data collectors to collect both SRS and CRVS information with a single ODK questionnaire at a single time.
Mozambique
Mozambique STORY GOES HERE
| Last updated |
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| 24 October 2025 |
| Portions of this page are © 2025 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved. Approved for Public Release #25-2779. Distribution Unlimited. The source of this information is the Technical Assistance for Sample Registration Systems (SRS) Planning Grants, a joint project of the CDC Foundation and Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute through the Gates Foundation SRS Grant. |