TY  - JOUR
T1  - LArge-scale “expert” mortality surveys in conflicts—concerns and recommendations
AU  - Spiegel PB, Robinson C
Y1  - 2010/08/04
N1  - 10.1001/jama.2010.1094
JO  - JAMA
SP  - 567
EP  - 568
VL  - 304
IS  - 5
N2  - 
Several large-scale retrospective mortality surveys in conflict settings in Darfur,1 the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),2- 3 Northern Uganda,4 and Iraq5- 6 have had major political implications, and, thus, were scrutinized by policy makers, researchers, and the media.7- 8 The controversies they generated led to serious criticism—some well-founded, some less so—that may have undermined the credibility of mortality surveys in conflict settings. For example, a 2006 survey5 estimated that more than 650 000 Iraqis died mostly from violence since the US-led invasion in 2003; in contrast, another study6 found a substantially lower estimate of violence-related deaths at approximately 151 000. A 2007 study3 estimated that 5.4 million have died in DRC since 1998; another report8 questioned the methods of this study and claimed that the excess death estimate was at least 3 times too high. Rebuttals from various sources and conflicting studies focused on sampling and nonsampling biases.7- 8 Given these concerns, higher standards and improved methods are needed for undertaking and reporting large-scale mortality surveys.

SN  - 0098-7484
M3  - doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.1094
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2010.1094
ER  -