Performance of the Tariff Method: validation of a simple additive algorithm for analysis of verbal autopsies

Table 1 Selected tariffs in the adult module of the PHMRC dataset

	Signs/Symptoms
Causes	Ulcer oozed pus	Lump in the neck	Convulsions	Pain in left arm	Free text: "cancer"
Diabetes with skin infection	25	0.5	0.5	1	-0.5
Esophageal cancer	-0.5	8.5	-1.5	1	4.5
Hypertensive disorder (maternal)	-0.5	0.5	7	-0.5	-0.5
Acute myocardial infarction	0	-1	-0.5	4.5	0.5
Cervical cancer	0	0.5	-0.5	-0.5	7

Tariffs were calculated as explained in the Methods section. These particular tariffs were selected because they demonstrate how the method can be somewhat intuitive from a medical perspective. For example, an ulcer oozing pus is a plausible sign for a person who died of diabetes with skin infection, though it seems somewhat less plausible for someone dying of acute myocardial infarction.

ISSN: 1478-7954