Smart Discharges to improve post-discharge survival following admission for infection July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2026
My research program focuses on understanding and predicting vulnerability of mothers, infants, and children after discharge from hospital, and using this knowledge to develop programs that improve post-discharge outcomes. In our Smart Discharges program, healthcare workers use our data-driven, individualized risk prediction score to identify children at high risk of death or complications after discharge from a hospital following treatment for suspected or proven sepsis infection. This score is used to guide the intensity of a counseling and down-referral program that links the participant to a community-level health provider for monitoring and treatment of their recovery during the post-discharge period.
My research team works primarily in Uganda, though we are now beginning to apply a “reverse innovation” approach to a Canadian context, where pediatric post-discharge morbidity remains an important component in child-health research, policy and practice.