PRESCRIBING PATTERN BY DOCTORS FOR ACUTE DIARRHEA IN CHILDREN IN DELHI, INDIA

Parents (mostly mothers) of 264 children aged less than 5 years with a cute watery diarrhoea were interviewed about their treatment profile b efore hospitalization in Delhi, India in 1993. Only 22% of the cases w ere given prescriptions for oral rehydration solutions (ORS), whereas a very high proportion (64%) of them were given drugs, including antib iotics and antidiarrhoeals and 40% were given intravenous fluids, The differences among the treatment groups were highly significant. The go vernment and private doctors were equally responsible for the low rate of prescription of ORS, The confidence of health professionals in ORS appears to be very low. The findings suggest the need of a high-profi le continuing education programme to encourage ORS prescription in Del hi.