KNOWLEDGE, ATTIUTDE AND PRACTICES OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS ON USING ZINC TO TREAT CHILDHOOD DIARRHOEA

To assess knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) related to zinc use by healthcare professionals (HCPs) for diarrhoea in children. (2) To check the availability/non availability of zinc formulations in community pharmacies. Childhood diarrhoea is one of the leading cause of morbidity and deaths globally. Excessive nutrients loss occurs as an aftermath of the diarrhoea. Zinc supplementation to children aid in replenishing lost micronutrients and improves overall health during episodes of diarrhoea. A pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire was developed and distributed among 100 practitioners that included general physicians and paediatricians and 50 community pharmacists in different localities of Delhi. A presentation containing therapeutic role of zinc in childhood diarrhoea was administered to non-prescribers of zinc. Majority of prescribers reported already using zinc as an adjunct to ORS yet believed ORS alone can meet the demand of lost nutrition from the body. Non-prescribers disagreed that ORS alone meets the demand of lost nutrition yet believed zinc is safe for managing childhood diarrhoea. Their practice rely on prescribing anti-diarrhoeals and antibiotics to treat diarrhoea in infants. Community pharmacists believed that zinc is safe and beneficial for children under 5 years of age however, the rate of dispensing zinc formulations from pharmacies is low. The study displayed a gap of knowledge among HCPs and recommends conduction of educational programs to ensure adequate consumption of zinc supplements among children.