DIFFERENCES IN SELF-REPORTED AND OBSERVED PRESCRIBING PRACTICE OF GENERAL-PRACTITIONERS AND PEDIATRICIANS FOR ACUTE WATERY DIARRHEA IN CHILDREN OF KARACHI, PAKISTAN

Practice of 60 general practitioners (GPs) and 26 paediatricians presc ribing for acute watery diarrhoea in children was observed. Later, the se GPs and paediatricians were interviewed to record their self-report ed prescribing behaviour. Fifty-two percent of the GPs and 12% of the paediatricians reported to prescribe antibiotics, but 77% of the GPs a nd 85% of the paediatricians were observed prescribing antibiotics for acute watery diarrhoea. Regarding antiamoebics, no difference was see n in number of self-reporting and observed GPs, but significant differ ence was seen in paediatricians. Of the paediatricians, only 12% repor ted to prescribe, but 62% were observed prescribing antiamoebics. Simi larly, kaolin compounds were observed to be prescribed by smaller numb er of GPs (63%) than self-reporting ones (80%). Of the paediatricians, 31% reported to prescribe but 38% were observed prescribing kaolin co mpounds. These results show differences between self-reported and obse rved drug prescribing practices for acute watery diarrhoea in children . This difference was much wider in paediatricians than in GPs.