Appropriate Treatment of Diarrhoea - Recognition of Warning Signs

Several warning signs indicate when home treatment of diarrhoea is insufficient and a child must be taken to a health facility. The indicator measures the proportion of caregivers aware of at least 3 out of 5 to 6 key warning signs.

Collect the following data by conducting individual interviews with a representative sample of the primary caregivers (mainly mothers).

RECOMMENDED SURVEY QUESTIONS (Q) AND POSSIBLE ANSWERS (A)

Q1: Can you please tell me the symptoms of when a child's diarrhoea is so dangerous, that the child needs to be taken to a health facility for treatment?

A1: _

1) the child has blood in her/ his stool

2) the child’s stool resembles white water

3) the child has a fever

4) the child does not drink more fluids than usual

5) the diarrhoea lasts for 4 or more days

6) (if old enough) the child complains about severe pain in the abdomen or rectum

7) other: .....................

8) I don't know

NOTE: Encourage the data collectors to probe for further explanation if the respondent provides only a limited response (for example, by asking: "Do you know about any other symptoms?").

To calculate the indicator's value,  divide the number of caregivers, which could specify at least 3 situations when a child suffering from diarrhoea needs to be taken to a health facility by the total number of interviewed caregivers. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

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