Sepsis CoLab FAQ

The Pediatric Sepsis Data CoLaboratory (Sepsis CoLab) is an international data-sharing network aimed at reducing pediatric sepsis mortality and morbidity. Led by the  Institute for Global Health at BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre (IGH-BCCWH) and The University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, together with the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies (WFPICCS), the Sepsis CoLab promotes collaboration among clinicians, researchers, and healthcare workers to collect and analyze data. This helps improve individual treatment decisions and facility-wide care processes, driving better outcomes in pediatric sepsis treatment.

1. Patient and facility data – Developing tools to enhance data collection for research and quality improvement.
2. Mobile and web applications – Creating low-cost digital tools to inform, diagnose, advise, and plan for improved sepsis outcomes.
3. Modelling and analytics – Sharing and analyzing data to identify the best treatment approaches.
4. Advocacy and prevention – Promoting improved guidelines and practices at facility, national, and global levels for early sepsis recognition.

By joining, you can collaborate with pediatric clinicians and sepsis experts globally to advance pediatric sepsis research and clinical practice, contributing to better outcomes for children with sepsis.

Members gain access to resources in the CoLab’s Dataverse, including guidelines, readiness assessment tools, algorithms, open data training resources, quality improvement and ethics application templates, and many more. Members also benefit from networking, mentorship opportunities, and the ability to securely store and share de-identified patient data.

To join, complete the membership application, create a Dataverse account, and sign a Memorandum of Understanding. Details are available in the membership application.

Anyone with an interest in pediatric sepsis or the care of critically ill children can join, regardless of WFPICCS membership status.

Yes! Anyone interested in pediatric sepsis can join by completing our brief membership application here.

There is no need to renew your membership. Once approved, access is granted without expiry.

The MOU formally establishes a collaborative partnership with the Sepsis CoLab, ensuring shared accountability for any outputs produced as a result of collaborative work. This agreement helps maintain transparency and collaboration across projects. A copy of the MOU is available in the application form.

As a member, you can contribute data, collaborate on existing projects, or use the available resources in your own research or quality improvement projects. Dataverse provides a platform for a wide range of collaborative activities.

Members can share data and resources by signing a Data Sharing Agreement. This allows them to securely share and contribute to the CoLab’s Dataverse.

Members interested in collaboration can submit a project proposal for review by the Steering Committee. Approved proposals will require signing a Data Sharing Agreement.

Borealis, the Canadian Dataverse Repository is a secure open-source data repository (virtual archive) hosted in Canada.

Through the Sepsis CoLab’s Dataverse, members can:

1) Access guidelines, tools, algorithms, and many other resources.

2) Access and share data through data sharing agreements.

3) Securely store data.

In many low-resource settings, data collection is challenging and costly. Routine, coordinated data collection helps develop and validate tools for continuous quality improvement, ultimately improving care globally.

Targeted, investigator-driven initiatives within the network are being used to improve sepsis treatments and outcomes. It is expected that health care providers, patients and their families will benefit from this continuous quality improvement.

Yes. To deposit or share data within the CoLab’s Dataverse, you must first become a member. Members gain access to various resources that support research and quality improvement.

Instructions for uploading and/or downloading data can be found within our Dataverse here.

Sepsis CoLab members who contribute resources or collaborate on the development of resources are given credit for their work in the asset’s metadata on Dataverse.

Metadata provides information about each asset (resource) on Dataverse. This includes the asset’s title, authors list, contact information, description, keywords, and digital object identifier. The metadata is used to create a reference for the asset that can be cited in research articles and other resources.

A DOI is a unique code that identifies a resource, making it easy to locate and cite online. Each asset on Dataverse is automatically assigned a DOI.

There is no direct cost to researchers or other users. This Dataverse is a shared service provided by academic libraries, regional library consortia, universities, colleges, research organizations, and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. The shared technical infrastructure is hosted by Scholars Portal and the University of Toronto Libraries in partnership with regional academic library consortia.

Dataverse supports a wide range of file types, with a focus on research data. Any type of data file can be uploaded and shared.

Yes. Data can be restricted to authorized users, and the platform has security measures in place to ensure compliance with data protection regulations. For more information, refer to the Advanced Dataverse User Guide.

Open data is data that anyone can access, use and share.

Open data promotes equitable knowledge creation by allowing more individuals and institutions to access and reuse data. This leads to broader discoveries and improves health outcomes globally, especially in resource-limited settings.

The FAIR Data Principles ensure data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, enabling broader and more effective data use. These principles support better data management and help advance digital science.

FINDABLE data has unique properties that allow it to be found easily and reliably, including sufficiently rich ‘metadata’ or “data about data.”

ACCESSIBLE data ensures that the metadata and data are easily understood by humans and machines and are held in a trusted repository.

INTEROPERABLE data uses a formal, accessible, shared, and broadly applicable language for knowledge representation. This means that there is a shared understanding of what the data actually represents.

REUSABLE data has clear usage licenses and provides accurate information about the origin, authenticity, and quality of the data.

See our Dataverse Video Tutorials for more information on open data and Dataverse navigation.

Open data is important because in the past data was typically collected by a single group, used to address a specific set of questions, and then archived and rarely ever used again. This type of restricted access means that only those with the resources to collect data were generating information and creating knowledge. Furthermore, this method of data collection results in lost opportunities for others to learn and contribute.

Not everyone who has questions has the resources to collect data in the first place. By allowing data to be accessed and reused freely more people are able to generate the information required to answer their unique questions. This type of access can help create a more equitable creation of new knowledge.

Opening up data provides a way to leverage scarce resources, allowing broader access, leading to more discoveries, without costly investments. This approach is key to addressing inequities and improving health outcomes for individuals everywhere.

The advancement of digital science thrives on the timely sharing and accessibility of digital data. The FAIR Data Principles were established as a set of guiding principles in order to make data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable.

FINDABLE data has unique properties that allow it to be found easily and reliably, including sufficiently rich ‘meta data’ or “data about data.”

ACCESSIBLE data ensures that the metadata and data are easily understood by humans and machines and are held in a trusted repository.

INTEROPERABLE data uses a formal, accessible, shared, and broadly applicable language for knowledge representation. This means that there is a shared understanding of what the data actually represents.

REUSABLE data has clear usage licenses and provides accurate information about the origin, authenticity, and quality of the data.