CARETAKERS MANAGEMENT OF CHILDHOOD ACUTE RESPIRATORY-INFECTIONS AND THE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS, BOHOL, THE PHILIPPINES

This article describes the results of a qualitative research study whi ch investigated the diagnosis and management of childhood acute respir atory infections (ARI) by their usual caretakers. Data are drawn from in-depth interviews with caretakers and health professionals, from obs ervations conducted within the pediatric outpatient department and the pediatric ward, and from case-studies of sick infants. Caretakers - m others and grandmothers - take advantage of a wide variety of health c are options including home-based, traditional and biomedical, the majo rity obtaining treatment from different medical systems for the same e pisode. Resort to traditional therapeutic practice may precede or foll ow resort to biomedical care or home use of western pharmaceuticals. T he study indicated women's compliance with medical prescriptions tende d to be incomplete because of limited financial resources, fear of ove rmedication, or inappropriate emphasis on drugs prescribed for symptom atic relief. Overuse of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals was also common. The study draws attention to the difficulty that programs for the control of ARI have in promoting antibiotics for severe illness w hile restricting their use. it draws attention too to discrepancies am ong program manager's, doctor's, and caretaker's definitions of severe illness, and the implications of this in the household management of ARI.