PATNA, INDIA – According to a recent analysis, many children are not receiving a cheap and effective treatment for potentially fatal diarrheal disease, potentially due to misconceptions among healthcare providers.
Diarrhea is a major cause of death among children under 5 globally, with about 9 percent of all deaths of young children worldwide occurring due to diarrheal disease. Oral rehydration salts (ORS), a solution of glucose and electrolytes, is the front-line treatment for diarrhea in kids and is listed on the WHO List of Essential Medicines. However, a study published in Science suggests that misconceptions among healthcare providers are leading to underprescription of this inexpensive remedy.
This issue is most acute in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, with children in richer, urban areas more likely to receive treatment than their counterparts in poor and rural areas. In a study conducted in India, it was found that financial incentives played a role in the prescription of costlier treatments over ORS.
Additionally, the study revealed that the actors who expressed a preference for ORS increased prescription rates by 27 percent, highlighting the impact of patient preferences on healthcare providers’ decisions.
The research suggests that targeting interventions towards healthcare providers and educating patients and caretakers about the importance of ORS for diarrhea treatment could lead to better prescription rates, potentially saving children’s lives and reducing the over-prescription of antibiotics, which contributes to antibiotic resistance. These findings underscore the need for a multi-faceted approach to address the underprescription of ORS and improve access to this life-saving treatment.