Over 4 million children suffer from sepsis globally, with rates particularly high in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Uganda. While 80-85% of infants and children will survive sepsis, up to 1/3rd will be left with delays or permanent deficits in neurodevelopment. Yet screening for these deficits is challenging in LMICs; currently there are no culturally appropriate, easy-to-use neurodevelopmental (ND) screening tools available for front line health care workers who may have limited ND training.

To address this challenge, we have developed OptiDev - a new, culturally appropriate, simple to administer digital tool for screening ND in children 0-5 years of age. Recruitment for this project began in Uganda in 2021, in partnership with Dr. Lisa Bebell from the Harvard Center for AIDS Research. Our current goal is to assess 200 newborns, infants, and children between the ages of 0 – 15 months, in order to internally validate the OptiDev tool. Future studies will focus on validating the tool in children 16 months to 5 years of age.

After validating the tool, our goal is to optimize children's ND outcomes in Uganda after sepsis by establishing regular screening of ND delays and deficits using OptiDev. This is a tablet-based tool that will seamlessly integrate into the Smart Discharges program in Uganda, which aims to improve post-discharge outcomes for children treated for sepsis. Our long-term goal is work with our partners in hospitals and the government and use the information we collect on ND outcomes to design early intervention materials and improve intervention services for children in Uganda, and then in other LMICs.

Interested in learning more about the project? Contact Bella Hwang at Bella.Hwang@cw.bc.ca