A Rapid Diagnostic of Risk in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients to Improve Outcomes Using Machine Learning

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the implementation of a pediatric version of the Electronic Cardiac Arrest Risk Triage (pediatric eCART) tool. This clinical decision support system uses electronic health records to identify children at high risk for life-threatening outcomes, aiming to improve clinical decision-making and patient management. The study compares three years of retrospective data before pediatric eCART implementation to two years of prospective data after its adoption at UW Health. Additionally, the study measures nurse clinicians' acceptance of the tool to understand its usability and impact on their workload. The intervention involves integrating pediatric eCART into the electronic health record system Epic, allowing real-time scoring of hospitalized children under 18 years old. The "pre" group includes patients admitted between January 2022 and the 2025 implementation date, with retrospective scoring applied. The "post" group consists of patients admitted during the two years following implementation (2025-2027), with scores calculated live. Pediatric nurse clinicians using the system will also be surveyed to assess the tool's acceptability and usability. Participants include hospitalized pediatric patients and UW Health nurses who interact with the pediatric eCART during care. The study will track outcomes such as in-hospital mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) free days during hospital stays, typically around 5 days but possibly longer. Nurses will complete surveys assessing system usability and perceived usefulness within a month of using pediatric eCART. The total study period spans from the retrospective data collection through two years of prospective monitoring after implementation.

Evaluation of Pediatric eCART Implementation