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Kisenge R, Ideh RC, Kamara J, Coleman-Nekar YJG, Samma A, Godfrey E, Manji HK, Sudfeld CR, Westbrook A, Niescierenko M, Morris CR, Whitney CG, Breiman RF, Duggan CP, Manji KP, Rees CA. Morbidity and unplanned healthcare encounters after hospital discharge among young children in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Monrovia, Liberia. BMJ Paediatr Open 2024; 8:e002613. [PMID: 38906561 PMCID: PMC11191828 DOI: 10.1136/bmjpo-2024-002613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Researchers and healthcare providers have paid little attention to morbidity and unplanned healthcare encounters for children following hospital discharge in low- and middle-income countries. Our objective was to compare symptoms and unplanned healthcare encounters among children aged <5 years who survived with those who died within 60 days of hospital discharge through follow-up phone calls. METHODS We conducted a secondary analysis of a prospective observational cohort of children aged <5 years discharged from neonatal and paediatric wards of two national referral hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Monrovia, Liberia. Caregivers of enrolled participants received phone calls 7, 14, 30, 45, and 60 days after hospital discharge to record symptoms, unplanned healthcare encounters, and vital status. We used logistic regression to determine the association between reported symptoms and unplanned healthcare encounters with 60-day post-discharge mortality. RESULTS A total of 4243 participants were enrolled and had 60-day vital status available; 138 (3.3%) died. For every additional symptom ever reported following discharge, there was a 35% greater likelihood of post-discharge mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10 to 1.66; p=0.004). The greatest survival difference was noted for children who had difficulty breathing (2.1% among those who survived vs 36.0% among those who died, p<0.001). Caregivers who took their child home from the hospital against medical advice during the initial hospitalisation had over eight times greater odds of post-discharge mortality (aOR 8.06, 95% CI 3.87 to 16.3; p<0.001) and those who were readmitted to a hospital had 3.42 greater odds (95% CI 1.55 to 8.47; p=0.004) of post-discharge mortality than those who did not seek care when adjusting for site, sociodemographic factors, and clinical variables. CONCLUSION Surveillance for symptoms and repeated admissions following hospital discharge by healthcare providers is crucial to identify children at risk for post-discharge mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrick Kisenge
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Readon C Ideh
- Department of Pediatrics, John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Monrovia, Liberia
| | - Julia Kamara
- Department of Pediatrics, John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Monrovia, Liberia
| | | | - Abraham Samma
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Evance Godfrey
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Hussein K Manji
- Accident and Emergency Department, Aga Khan Health Services, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Christopher R Sudfeld
- Departments of Nutrition and Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Adrianna Westbrook
- Pediatric Biostatistics Core, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Michelle Niescierenko
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Claudia R Morris
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Cynthia G Whitney
- Emory Global Health Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Robert F Breiman
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Infectious Diseases and Oncology Research Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Christopher P Duggan
- Departments of Nutrition and Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Center for Nutrition, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Karim P Manji
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Chris A Rees
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Rees CA, Kisenge R, Godfrey E, Ideh RC, Kamara J, Coleman-Nekar YJ, Samma A, Manji HK, Sudfeld CR, Westbrook A, Niescierenko M, Morris CR, Whitney CG, Breiman RF, Duggan CP, Manji KP. Derivation and Internal Validation of a Novel Risk Assessment Tool to Identify Infants and Young Children at Risk for Post-Discharge Mortality in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Monrovia, Liberia. J Pediatr 2024; 273:114147. [PMID: 38878962 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2024.114147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To derive and validate internally a novel risk assessment tool to identify young children at risk for all-cause mortality ≤60 days of discharge from hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa. STUDY DESIGN We performed a prospective observational cohort study of children aged 1-59 months discharged from Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia, Liberia (2019-2022). Caregivers received telephone calls up to 60 days after discharge to ascertain participant vital status. We collected socioeconomic, demographic, clinical, and anthropometric data during hospitalization. Candidate variables with P < .20 in bivariate analyses were included in a multivariable logistic regression model with best subset selection to identify risk factors for the outcome. We internally validated our tool using bootstrapping with 500 repetitions. RESULTS There were 1933 young children enrolled in the study. The median (IQR) age was 11 (4, 23) months and 58.7% were males. In total, 67 (3.5%) died during follow-up. Ten variables contributed to our tool (total possible score 82). Cancer (aOR 10.6, 95% CI 2.58, 34.6), pedal edema (aOR 6.94, 95% CI 1.69, 22.6), and leaving against medical advice (aOR 6.46, 95% CI 2.46, 15.3) were most predictive of post-discharge mortality. Our risk assessment tool demonstrated good discriminatory value (optimism corrected area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.77), high precision, and sufficient calibration. CONCLUSIONS After validation, this tool may be used to identify young children at risk for post-discharge mortality to direct resources for follow-up of high-risk children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris A Rees
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Department of Emergency Medicine, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA.
| | - Rodrick Kisenge
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Evance Godfrey
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Readon C Ideh
- Department of Pediatrics, John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Monrovia, Liberia
| | - Julia Kamara
- Department of Pediatrics, John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Monrovia, Liberia
| | | | - Abraham Samma
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Hussein K Manji
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Accident and Emergency Department, The Aga Khan Health Services, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Christopher R Sudfeld
- Departments of Nutrition and Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Adrianna Westbrook
- Pediatric Biostatistics Core, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Michelle Niescierenko
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA; Department of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Claudia R Morris
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Department of Emergency Medicine, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
| | | | - Robert F Breiman
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Christopher P Duggan
- Departments of Nutrition and Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Center for Nutrition, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Karim P Manji
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
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Rees CA, Ideh RC, Kisenge R, Kamara J, Coleman-Nekar YJG, Samma A, Godfrey E, Manji HK, Sudfeld CR, Westbrook AL, Niescierenko M, Morris CR, Whitney CG, Breiman RF, Duggan CP, Manji KP. Identifying neonates at risk for post-discharge mortality in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Monrovia, Liberia: Derivation and internal validation of a novel risk assessment tool. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e079389. [PMID: 38365298 PMCID: PMC10875550 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The immediate period after hospital discharge carries a large burden of childhood mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Our objective was to derive and internally validate a risk assessment tool to identify neonates discharged from the neonatal ward at risk for 60-day post-discharge mortality. METHODS We conducted a prospective observational cohort study of neonates discharged from Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and John F Kennedy Medical Centre in Monrovia, Liberia. Research staff called caregivers to ascertain vital status up to 60 days after discharge. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analyses with best subset selection to identify socioeconomic, demographic, clinical, and anthropometric factors associated with post-discharge mortality. We used adjusted log coefficients to assign points to each variable and internally validated our tool with bootstrap validation with 500 repetitions. RESULTS There were 2344 neonates discharged and 2310 (98.5%) had post-discharge outcomes available. The median (IQR) age at discharge was 8 (4, 15) days; 1238 (53.6%) were male. In total, 71 (3.1%) died during follow-up (26.8% within 7 days of discharge). Leaving against medical advice (adjusted OR [aOR] 5.62, 95% CI 2.40 to 12.10) and diagnosis of meconium aspiration (aOR 6.98, 95% CI 1.69 to 21.70) conferred the greatest risk for post-discharge mortality. The risk assessment tool included nine variables (total possible score=63) and had an optimism corrected area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.77 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.80). A score of ≥6 was most optimal (sensitivity 68.3% [95% CI 64.8% to 71.5%], specificity 72.1% [95% CI 71.5% to 72.7%]). CONCLUSIONS A small number of factors predicted all-cause, 60-day mortality after discharge from neonatal wards in Tanzania and Liberia. After external validation, this risk assessment tool may facilitate clinical decision making for eligibility for discharge and the direction of resources to follow-up high risk neonates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris A Rees
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Readon C Ideh
- Department of Pediatrics, John F Kennedy Medical Center, Monrovia, Liberia
| | - Rodrick Kisenge
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Julia Kamara
- Department of Pediatrics, John F Kennedy Medical Center, Monrovia, Liberia
| | | | - Abraham Samma
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Evance Godfrey
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Hussein K Manji
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
- Accident and Emergency Department, The Aga Khan Health Services, Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Christopher R Sudfeld
- Departments of Nutrition and Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Boston, USA
| | - Adrianna L Westbrook
- Pediatric Biostatistics Core, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Michelle Niescierenko
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Claudia R Morris
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Cynthia G Whitney
- Emory Global Health Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Robert F Breiman
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Infectious Diseases and Oncology Research Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Christopher P Duggan
- Departments of Nutrition and Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Boston, USA
- Center for Nutrition, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Karim P Manji
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
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