Title: Pre-hospital Management Practices of Acute Gastroenteritis among Caregivers of Children Presenting to a Secondary Health Care Institution

Authors: Dr Ambuj Shandil, Dr Pooja Thakur, Dr Abhinay Sharma, Dr Arnav Shandil, Dr Ishaan Chauhan, Dr Kalpana Sharma, Dr Daleep Tegta

 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v7i7.117

Abstract

Background: Acute gastroenteritis is the second most important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Effective management of diarrheal illnesses at home is only possible if caregiver is adequately educated and motivated about the use of ORT.

Objectives: To evaluate prescription practices and use of ORT in the management of an acute diarrheal episode in the caregivers of children under 5 years of age

Methods: Caregivers of children under 5 years of age who presented to Civil hospital, Theog and were not taking treatment for same from any other hospital were interviewed on basis of a structured questionnaire.

Results: Caregivers of 112 children who met the inclusion criteria(primarily treated at home with no treatment been taken from any outside hospital or health center) were interviewed. Access to ORT was found in 61% of all children with diarrhea. These being children who were offered ORT at home, had previous experiences with ORS. Socio-economic status did not significantly correlate with better performance.

Conclusion: In our study, we found out that management of diarrhoea (acute gastroenteritis) at home was grossly inadequate. We also found discrepancies in method of preparation and administration of ORT.

Keywords: ORT (oral rehydration therapy) ORS (oral rehydration solution).

References

  1. Parashar UD, Hummelman EG, Bresee JS, Miller MA, Glass RI. Global illness and deaths caused by rotavirus disease in children. Emerg Infect Dis. 2003 May;9(5):565–72.
  2. Kosek M, Bern C, Guerrant RL. The global burden of diarrhoeal disease, as estimated from studies published between 1992 and 2000. Bull World Health Organ. 2003;81(3):197–204.
  3. Liu L, Oza S, Hogan D, Perin J, Rudan I, Lawn JE, et al. Global, regional, and national causes of child mortality in 2000-13, with projections to inform post-2015 priorities: an updated systematic analysis. Lancet Lond Engl. 2015 Jan 31;385(9966):430–40.
  4. Fischer Walker CL, Perin J, Aryee MJ, Boschi-Pinto C, Black RE. Diarrhea incidence in low- and middle-income countries in 1990 and 2010: a systematic review. BMC Public Health. 2012 Mar 21;12:220.
  5. Checkley W, Buckley G, Gilman RH, Assis AM, Guerrant RL, Morris SS, et al. Multi-country analysis of the effects of diarrhoea on childhood stunting. Int J Epidemiol. 2008 Aug;37(4):816–30.
  6. Fischer Walker CL, Lamberti L, Adair L, Guerrant RL, Lescano AG, Martorell R, et al. Does childhood diarrhea influence cognition beyond the diarrhea-stunting pathway? PloS One. 2012;7(10):e47908.
  7. Managing acute gastroenteritis among children: oral rehydration, maintenance, and nutritional therapy. - PubMed - NCBI [Internet]. [cited 2019 Jul 9]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=King+CK%2C+Glass+R%2C+Bresee+JS%2C+Duggan+C.+Managing+acute+gastroenteritis+among+children+%E2%80%93+oral+rehydration%2C+maintenance%2C+and+nutritional+therapy.
  8. Global progress in the control of diarrheal diseases. - PubMed - NCBI [Internet]. [cited 2019 Jul 9]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Claeson+M%2C+and+Merson+MH.+Global+progress+in+the+control+of+diarrhoeal+diseases
  9. Wardlaw T, Salama P, Brocklehurst C, Chopra M, Mason E. Diarrhoea: why children are still dying and what can be done. Lancet Lond Engl. 2010 Mar 13;375(9718):870–2.
  10. Wang H-H, Shieh M-J, Liao K-F. A blind, randomized comparison of racecadotril and loperamide for stopping acute diarrhea in adults. World J Gastroenterol. 2005 Mar 14;11(10):1540–3.
  11. Victora CG, Bryce J, Fontaine O, Monasch R. Reducing deaths from diarrhoea through oral rehydration therapy. Bull World Health Organ. 2000;78(10):1246–55.
  12. Szajewska H, Hoekstra JH, Sandhu B, ESPGHAN Working Group on Acute Diarrhoea. Management of acute gastroenteritis in Europe and the impact of the new recommendations: a multicenter study. The Working Group on acute Diarrhoea of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. J PediatrGastroenterolNutr. 2000 May;30(5):522–7.
  13. Snyder JD. Use and misuse of oral therapy for diarrhea: comparison of US practices with American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations. Pediatrics. 1991 Jan;87(1):28–33.
  14. Merrick N, Davidson B, Fox S. Treatment of acute gastroenteritis: too much and too little care. ClinPediatr (Phila). 1996 Sep;35(9):429–35.
  15. King CK, Glass R, Bresee JS, Duggan C, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Managing acute gastroenteritis among children: oral rehydration, maintenance, and nutritional therapy. MMWR Recomm Rep Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Recomm Rep. 2003 Nov 21;52(RR-16):1–16.
  16. Oral rehydration of malnourished children with diarrhoea and dehydration: A systematic review. - PubMed - NCBI [Internet]. [cited 2019 Jul 11]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29090271
  17. Pierre-Louis JN. Oral rehydration program evaluation by quality assurance sampling in rural Haiti. Am J Public Health. 1991 Sep;81(9):1205–7.
  18. De Zoysa I, Carson D, Feachem R, Kirkwood B, Lindsay-Smith E, Loewenson R. Home-based oral rehydration therapy in rural Zimbabwe. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1984;78(1):102–5.
  19. Gibbons E, Dobie SA, Krieger J. Evaluation of oral rehydration therapy in Matiguas, Nicaragua. Public Health Rep Wash DC 1974. 1994 Jun;109(3):428–33.

Corresponding Author

Dr Arnav Shandil, MD

Civil Hospital Theog, Distt Shimla, H.P. India