# The Role of Neighborhood- and Facility-Level Factors in Pediatric Sepsis Mortality

> **NIH NIH F30** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2020 · $36,206

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Pediatric sepsis affects over 50,000 U.S. children each year, resulting in long-term functional disability and
higher risk of mortality at a cost of nearly $2 billion. Early recognition and resuscitation of pediatric sepsis can
reduce mortality and improve outcomes. However, current adherence to early resuscitation guidelines remains
low among pediatric sepsis and septic shock patients. Adherence to pediatric sepsis care guidelines is worse
than in the adult sepsis population, especially in low-volume facilities. Compared to adults, pediatric sepsis
patients may be at higher risk of disparate incidence and outcomes given sparser access to definitive pediatric
hospital care. The central hypothesis of this study is that increased pediatric sepsis mortality can be partially
attributed to geographic access and facility-level characteristics among patients with similar severities of
illness. This study will use multi-state all-payer administrative claims data and a national readiness survey of
emergency departments (EDs) to test the central hypothesis with the following aims: (1) identify facility-level
characteristics associated with effective pediatric sepsis care and (2) determine the role of access to care in
pediatric sepsis outcomes. The proposed work will provide a foundation of evidence to inform the development
of pediatric sepsis quality improvement programs and systems for pediatric populations with decreased access
to children’s hospitals. This research training project will equip Morgan Swanson (Principal Investigator) with
the research experience, advanced critical thinking skills, and technical knowledge to succeed as an
independent investigator. As a future physician-scientist, this project will provide Ms. Swanson with
foundational skills to develop a research career focused on minimizing the burden of pediatric critical illness
through improving emergency health care access and delivery.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9909154
- **Project number:** 1F30HD100074-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** Morgan Bobb Swanson
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $36,206
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-02-01 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9909154

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9909154, The Role of Neighborhood- and Facility-Level Factors in Pediatric Sepsis Mortality (1F30HD100074-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9909154. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*