Pediatric Sepsis Post-Discharge Mortality Study in Uganda

Comprising data from 13,051 children under five years old enrolled in a two-phase study across six Ugandan hospitals to assess a risk-differentiated discharge intervention for suspected sepsis. It includes clinical, social, and demographic variables collected at admission and follow-up data on mortality, health-seeking, and readmission up to six months post-discharge. The study compares a baseline phase (n=6,955) with an intervention phase (n=6,096).

Use Cases

• Analyze the relationship between predicted post-discharge mortality risk categories (low/medium/high/very high) and observed six-month mortality outcomes.
• Model the impact of intervention components (e.g., scheduled follow-up visits, counseling) on readmission rates using clinical and socio-demographic admission variables.
• Assess the association between age groups (0-6 months, 6-60 months) and post-discharge health-seeking behaviors or mortality.
• Evaluate the performance of clinical prediction algorithms for post-discharge mortality using the collected clinical and socio-demographic variables.

Strengths

• Large cohort of 13,051 pediatric patients from a prospective study design.
• Includes longitudinal follow-up data on vital status, health-seeking, and readmission for up to six months post-discharge.
• Data collection was systematic, using encrypted tablets and a REDCap database, with trained study nurses and field officers.

Limitations

• The dataset is specific to children under five with suspected sepsis in Uganda, limiting generalizability to other populations or settings.
• As a before-after study, it may be subject to confounding factors not controlled for by the staggered implementation design.
• Data completeness for follow-up contacts (phone at 2/4 months, in-person at 6 months) may vary, potentially introducing attrition bias.

Provenance

Source

Borealis Harvested Dataverse, authored by Wiens, Matthew O.

Collection Method

Prospective data collection at point of care using encrypted study tablets, uploaded to a REDCap database. Follow-up conducted via phone and in-person visits.

Time Range

Covers the duration of the two-phase before-after study, with follow-up extending six months post-discharge.

Freshness

Last updated on 2025-10-13.

Geography

Data collected from six hospitals in Uganda.