National Estimates of Pediatric Sepsis by F. Balamuth and C. Rhee | OPENPediatrics‌

In this World Shared Practice Forum Podcast, first authors Drs. Frances Balamuth and Chanu Rhee describe the objectives and methodology for their study “National Estimates of Pediatric Sepsis in US Hospitals Using Clinical Data” published in the March 2026 edition of JAMA. They discuss the process of modifying the Phoenix Sepsis Criteria to an electronic health record-based Pediatric Sepsis Event (PSE) definition and the methods for validating this definition. The authors share salient findings from their study, noting the limitations, and share their hopes for the future direction of sepsis surveillance research. LEARNING OBJECTIVES - Understand the derivation for the Pediatric Sepsis Event definition for electronic health record-based pediatric sepsis surveillance - Review the validation process for the Pediatric Sepsis Event definition - Compare the Pediatric Sepsis Event definition to the Phoenix Sepsis Criteria - Discuss the results and limitations of the electronic health record-based study design - Express the goals for the future direction of pediatric sepsis surveillance research AUTHORS Frances Balamuth, MD, PhD, MSCE Professor of Pediatrics, Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Chanu Rhee, MD, MPH Associate Professor of Population Medicine Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute Traci Wolbrink, MD, MPH‌ Senior Associate in Critical Care Medicine; Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine Boston Children's Hospital Associate Professor of Anesthesia Harvard Medical School DATE Initial publication date: June 23, 2026. ARTICLES REFERENCED Rhee C, Balamuth F, Dysart K, et al. National Estimates of Pediatric Sepsis in US Hospitals Using Clinical Data. JAMA. 2026;335(15):1321-1331. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41865411/ TRANSCRIPT https://cdn.bfldr.com/D6LGWP8S/as/swj4kvkgg686b6p9whmbht/20260622_WSP_Rhee_and_Balamuth_Transcript Please visit: www.openpediatrics.org OPENPediatrics™ is an interactive digital learning platform for healthcare clinicians sponsored by Boston Children's Hospital and in collaboration with the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies. It is designed to promote the exchange of knowledge between healthcare providers around the world caring for critically ill children in all resource settings. The content includes internationally recognized experts teaching the full range of topics on the care of critically ill children. All content is peer-reviewed and open-access, thus at no expense to the user. For further information on how to enroll, please email: [email protected] CITATION Balamuth F, Rhee C, O’Hara JE, Wolbrink TA. National Estimates of Pediatric Sepsis. 06/2026. OPENPediatrics. Online Podcast. https://soundcloud.com/openpediatrics/new-national-estimates-of.