TREATMENT OF DIARRHEA IN INFANTS BY MEDICAL DOCTORS IN BALOCHISTAN, PAKISTAN

Diarrhoea is an important public health problem in Balochistan, the we sternmost province of Pakistan, Although the use of oral rehydration s olutions (ORS) has been widely promoted, no studies have been reported on the actual uses of ORS in treating infant diarrhoea by the medical doctors in this region, The medical practices of 30 doctors in Baloch istan were surveyed. The surveyors posed as the mothers of infants wit h diarrhoea, The questions asked by the doctors, the physical examinat ions performed, and the treatments prescribed were noted, The historie s and physical examinations were incomplete, as performed by most prac titioners, In addition, 80% of the doctors prescribed drugs, usually k aolin preparations to treat diarrhoea, However, 18 of the 30 (60%) pra ctitioners also prescribed ORS for treating diarrhoea and most of them gave some recommendations about ORS use. It is concluded that many me dical practitioners have incorporated ORS treatment into their practic es. Ongoing educational programmes and refresher courses would likely improve the use of ORS further in this region.