Outpatient management of childhood acute diarrhea: survey among pediatricians from a children's hospital in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires

The management of acute diarrhea is based on preventing dehydration and reducing disease duration and severity. , Ángela Gentilea INTRODUCTION The study objective was to establish the patterns for the outpatient management of acute diarrhea in children younger than 5 years. Observational, analytical study using a self-administered survey among pediatricians from a children's hospital in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.Age, sex, place of work, bibliographic sources, indication of drug and non-drug therapies, and preventive and hygiene measures were recorded. The association between drug prescription and the characteristics of surveyed pediatricians was assessed. In total, 182/216 pediatricians completed the survey. Their mean age was 42.4 ± 10.24 years; 78.6% were females; 59.2% worked in the public sector; 22.4% worked in the emergency department; and 91.2% consulted guidelines and/or consensuses. Also, 92.9% prescribed oral rehydration solutions; 46.2%, antiemetics; 43.4%, antacids and/or gastric protectors; 35.7%, probiotics; and 30.7%, zinc. Early food reintroduction was indicated by 91.7%; breastfeeding, by 96.7%; and preventive and hygiene measures, by 96-100%. The multivariate analysis showed an association between age > 40 years and prescribing antacids/ gastric protectors (odds ratio [OR]: 2.6; 1.22-5.61), probiotics (OR: 3.03; 1.34-6.83), and zinc (OR: 0.39; 0.17-0.87); between working in the private sector and prescribing probiotics (OR: 3.05; 1.565.94); and between working in the emergency department and prescribing antacids/gastric protectors (OR: 2.60; 1.22-5.54). Treatment was mainly based on hydration, early food reintroduction, and breastfeeding. Age and work sector affected the prescription pattern.