Assessing the Burden and Outcomes of Acute Respiratory Infection among Children with Medical Complexity at The Hospital for Sick Children

Given advancements in medical and surgical technology, the number of children with medical complexity (CMC) is rising. These children, who experience multiple chronic medical conditions and require ongoing specialized therapies, are at higher risk of adverse outcomes from respiratory infections. However, most research on respiratory infections among CMC has been limited by small sample sizes. This project aims to study disease outcomes and hospital resource needs among CMC hospitalized with respiratory viral infections. This project will use data collected from the READAPT-Kids study at two large children’s hospitals in Canada from 2022-2023, which included nearly 300 CMC hospitalized with respiratory viral infections. In this project, the intern will analyze patient characteristics, presenting symptoms, respiratory virus testing, laboratory and vital indicators, hospital resource utilization, and disease severity outcomes which occurred during hospitalization. The project can benefit SickKids by improving care, management, and hospital resource utilization for CMC by informing clinical decision-making for CMC presenting with acute respiratory infections.

Faculty Supervisor:

Shelly Bolotin

Student:

Partner:

The Hospital for Sick Children

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Public administration

University:

University of Toronto

Program: