Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39939098›Full record

ArticleBMJ paediatrics open2025

Sepsis beyond bundles: contextualising paediatric care in resource-limited settings through situational analysis.

Leah Ratner, Allysa Warling, Sheila Agyeiwaa Owusu, Charles Martyn-Dickens, Gustav Nettey, Emma Otchere, Ahmet Uluer, R Elaine Cagnina, John Adabie Appiah, Maame Fremah Kotoh-Mortty and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ paediatrics open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Leah RatnerDivision of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA lratner@bwh.harvard.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6326-3543
Allysa WarlingHarvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Sheila Agyeiwaa OwusuKomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Directorate of Child Health, Kumasi, Ashanti, Ghana.
Charles Martyn-DickensKomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Directorate of Child Health, Kumasi, Ashanti, Ghana.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6659-9111
Gustav NetteyKomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Directorate of Child Health, Kumasi, Ashanti, Ghana.
Emma OtchereChild Health, Presbyterian Hospital, Agogo, Ghana.
Ahmet UluerHarvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
R Elaine CagninaHarvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
John Adabie AppiahKomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Directorate of Child Health, Kumasi, Ashanti, Ghana.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0386-6120
Maame Fremah Kotoh-MorttyChild Health, Presbyterian Hospital, Agogo, Ghana.
Eugene MarteyKomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Directorate of Child Health, Kumasi, Ashanti, Ghana.

Funding

NPGH LEADERs YR12: OBSSR (Greenberg, Ngwafong Mukere) & NIBIB (Lee)D43TW009345 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI Dibyadyuti Datta, Chandy C. John · 2017 to 2026
$15.2M
Partnership for Global Health Research Training Program (Renewal)-Supplement for OBSSR, NCI, NCI-AIDS and NIDCDD43TW010543 · FIC · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · PI Wafaie W Fawzi, DAVIDSON HOWES HAMER · 2017 to 2026
$12.1M
FIC NIH HHS D43 TW009345FIC NIH HHS D43 TW010543
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPaediatric sepsis remains a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where healthcare resources are often limited. Paediatric sepsis bundles, which include prompt administration of antibiotics, fluid resuscitation and continuous organ function monitoring, are crucial for improving outcomes, especially when initiated within the first 'golden hour' of sepsis recognition. These bundles, adapted from adult sepsis care protocols through the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, are increasingly emphasised in global sepsis management guidelines. However, the implementation of these protocols in LMICs is challenged by resource limitations and systemic barriers.

methodsThis situational analysis, conducted at two hospitals in Ghana-a tertiary facility and a district (secondary) facility-maps the availability of critical resources for paediatric sepsis care through a structured environmental scan using survey methodology. We assess staffing levels, access to medications, airway support and diagnostic capabilities. Methods were conceptualised through inner and outer settings of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and reported through the Donabedian model for healthcare quality.

resultsThis study compared paediatric care at a tertiary hospital (Komfo Anokye Teaching Hosptial (KATH)) and a district hospital (Presbyterian Hospital, Agogo (PreHA)) in Ghana, highlighting KATH's emergency and intensive care unit (ICU) services, specialised staff and broader respiratory support. PreHA, although without a paediatric-specific ICU, leveraged research funding to enhance clinical care capacity. Both hospitals experienced regular power outages but had reliable generators, and while they offered basic medications and treatments, resource limitations, including out-of-pocket costs for families, impacted access to essential medications and laboratory tests.

conclusionConcerns around resource availability, compounded by structural determinants such as financial barriers and historical underfunding hypothesised to be rooted in colonialism, highlight the need for context-sensitive adaptations of paediatric sepsis bundles. Our findings underscore the importance of a participatory approach to guideline adaptation and resource distribution, incorporating local expertise and addressing structural inequities to improve paediatric sepsis outcomes in Ghana. Future qualitative research will explore pre- and peri-hospital barriers to care and inform more effective, contextually appropriate interventions.

Indexed as

Health ResourcesPatient Care BundlesSepsisAnti-Bacterial AgentsChildChild, PreschoolDeveloping CountriesFluid TherapyGhanaHumansInfantResource-Limited SettingsTertiary Care CentersAnti-Bacterial AgentsChild HealthHistory Of MedicineLow and Middle Income CountriesMortality

Identifiers

PMID39939098
PMCPMC11822434

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.