Smart Discharges Uganda Under 5: Phase I clinical data of children 6-60 months - pulse oximetry

This data is a subset of the Smart Discharges Uganda Under 5 years parent study and is specific to the Phase I observational cohort of children aged 6-60 months containing <strong>pulse oximetry</strong> data.<br /> <br /><strong>Background:</strong> Substantial mortality occurs after hospital discharge in children under 5 years old with suspected sepsis. This study aimed to refine and externally validate a previously developed post-discharge mortality prediction model.<br /> <br /><strong>Methods:</strong> In this prospective observational cohort study, we recruited 6-60-month-old children admitted with suspected sepsis from the community to the paediatric wards of four Ugandan hospitals. The primary outcome was six-month post-discharge mortality among those discharged alive. <br /> <br /><strong>Data Collection Methods:</strong> All data were collected at the point of care using encrypted study tablets and these data were then uploaded to a Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) database hosted at the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (Vancouver, Canada). At admission, trained study nurses systematically collected data on clinical, social and demographic variables. Following discharge, field officers contacted caregivers at 2 and 4 months by phone, and in-person at 6 months, to determine vital status, post-discharge health-seeking, and readmission details. Verbal autopsies were conducted for children who had died following discharge.<br /> <br /><strong>Ethics Declaration:</strong> This study was approved by the Mbarara University of Science and Technology Research Ethics Committee (No. 15/10-16), the Uganda National Institute of Science and Technology (HS 2207), and the University of British Columbia / Children & Women’s Health Centre of British Columbia Research Ethics Board (H16-02679). This manuscript adheres to the guidelines for STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE).