Pediatric post-discharge mortality in resource-poor countries: A protocol for an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

<h4>Background</h4>More than 50 countries, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, are not on course to meet the neonatal and under-five mortality target set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the year 2030. One important, yet neglected, aspect of child mortality rates...

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Main Authors: Maryum Chaudhry, Martina Knappett, Vuong Nguyen, Jessica Trawin, Nathan Kenya Mugisha, Jerome Kabakyenga, Elias Kumbakumba, Shevin Jacob, J Mark Ansermino, Niranjan Kissoon, Matthew O Wiens
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2023-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281732
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author Maryum Chaudhry
Martina Knappett
Vuong Nguyen
Jessica Trawin
Nathan Kenya Mugisha
Jerome Kabakyenga
Elias Kumbakumba
Shevin Jacob
J Mark Ansermino
Niranjan Kissoon
Matthew O Wiens
author_facet Maryum Chaudhry
Martina Knappett
Vuong Nguyen
Jessica Trawin
Nathan Kenya Mugisha
Jerome Kabakyenga
Elias Kumbakumba
Shevin Jacob
J Mark Ansermino
Niranjan Kissoon
Matthew O Wiens
author_sort Maryum Chaudhry
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Background</h4>More than 50 countries, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, are not on course to meet the neonatal and under-five mortality target set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the year 2030. One important, yet neglected, aspect of child mortality rates is deaths occurring during the post-discharge period. For children living in resource-poor countries, the rate of post-discharge mortality within the first several months after discharge is often as high as the rates observed during the initial admission period. This has generally been observed within the context of acute illness and has been closely linked to underlying conditions such as malnutrition, HIV, and anemia. These post-discharge mortality rates tend to be underreported and present a major oversight in the efforts to reduce overall child mortality. This review will explore recurrent illness following discharge through determination of rates of, and risk factors for, pediatric post-discharge mortality in resource-poor settings.<h4>Methods</h4>Eligible studies will be retrieved using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases. Only studies with a post-discharge observation period of more than 7 days following discharge will be eligible for inclusion. Secondary outcomes will include post-discharge mortality relative to in-hospital mortality, overall readmission rates, pooled estimates of risk factors (e.g. admission details vs discharge factors, clinical vs social factors), pooled post-discharge mortality Kaplan-Meier survival curves, and outcomes by disease subgroups (e.g. malnutrition, anemia, general admissions). A narrative description of the included studies will be synthesized to categorize commonly affected patient population categories and a random-effects meta-analysis will be conducted to quantify overall post-discharge mortality rates at the 6-month time point.<h4>Discussion</h4>Post-discharge mortality contributes to global child mortality rates with a greater burden of deaths occurring in resource-poor settings. Literature concentrated on child mortality published over the last decade has expanded to focus on the fatal outcomes of children post-discharge and associated risk factors. The results from this systematic review will inform current policy and interventions on the epidemiological burden of post-discharge mortality and morbidity following acute illness among children living in resource-poor settings.<h4>Systematic review registration</h4>PROSPERO Registration ID: CRD42022350975.
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spelling doaj.art-b6aae2d8a5eb403c825d5b75b79ec6c62023-03-02T05:32:08ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01182e028173210.1371/journal.pone.0281732Pediatric post-discharge mortality in resource-poor countries: A protocol for an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.Maryum ChaudhryMartina KnappettVuong NguyenJessica TrawinNathan Kenya MugishaJerome KabakyengaElias KumbakumbaShevin JacobJ Mark AnserminoNiranjan KissoonMatthew O Wiens<h4>Background</h4>More than 50 countries, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, are not on course to meet the neonatal and under-five mortality target set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the year 2030. One important, yet neglected, aspect of child mortality rates is deaths occurring during the post-discharge period. For children living in resource-poor countries, the rate of post-discharge mortality within the first several months after discharge is often as high as the rates observed during the initial admission period. This has generally been observed within the context of acute illness and has been closely linked to underlying conditions such as malnutrition, HIV, and anemia. These post-discharge mortality rates tend to be underreported and present a major oversight in the efforts to reduce overall child mortality. This review will explore recurrent illness following discharge through determination of rates of, and risk factors for, pediatric post-discharge mortality in resource-poor settings.<h4>Methods</h4>Eligible studies will be retrieved using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases. Only studies with a post-discharge observation period of more than 7 days following discharge will be eligible for inclusion. Secondary outcomes will include post-discharge mortality relative to in-hospital mortality, overall readmission rates, pooled estimates of risk factors (e.g. admission details vs discharge factors, clinical vs social factors), pooled post-discharge mortality Kaplan-Meier survival curves, and outcomes by disease subgroups (e.g. malnutrition, anemia, general admissions). A narrative description of the included studies will be synthesized to categorize commonly affected patient population categories and a random-effects meta-analysis will be conducted to quantify overall post-discharge mortality rates at the 6-month time point.<h4>Discussion</h4>Post-discharge mortality contributes to global child mortality rates with a greater burden of deaths occurring in resource-poor settings. Literature concentrated on child mortality published over the last decade has expanded to focus on the fatal outcomes of children post-discharge and associated risk factors. The results from this systematic review will inform current policy and interventions on the epidemiological burden of post-discharge mortality and morbidity following acute illness among children living in resource-poor settings.<h4>Systematic review registration</h4>PROSPERO Registration ID: CRD42022350975.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281732
spellingShingle Maryum Chaudhry
Martina Knappett
Vuong Nguyen
Jessica Trawin
Nathan Kenya Mugisha
Jerome Kabakyenga
Elias Kumbakumba
Shevin Jacob
J Mark Ansermino
Niranjan Kissoon
Matthew O Wiens
Pediatric post-discharge mortality in resource-poor countries: A protocol for an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.
PLoS ONE
title Pediatric post-discharge mortality in resource-poor countries: A protocol for an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.
title_full Pediatric post-discharge mortality in resource-poor countries: A protocol for an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.
title_fullStr Pediatric post-discharge mortality in resource-poor countries: A protocol for an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.
title_full_unstemmed Pediatric post-discharge mortality in resource-poor countries: A protocol for an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.
title_short Pediatric post-discharge mortality in resource-poor countries: A protocol for an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.
title_sort pediatric post discharge mortality in resource poor countries a protocol for an updated systematic review and meta analysis
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281732
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