Understanding of the Risk Indicators of Dehydration

Understanding of the Risk Indicators of Dehydration

Thirst, sunken eyes, and scanty urine are considered to be two or more of the indicators of dehydration (Perez-Cuevas et al., 1996). WHO (2005) advises that in order to send patients to the hospital quickly, caregivers should be able to recognize the symptoms of dehydration. Common symptoms include extreme thirst, tiredness, sunken eyes, decreased urine production, and poor skin turgor. A cross-sectional research in Nepal found that 79% of the caregivers were ignorant of the symptoms of dehydration, indicating a poor level of knowledge that endangers the treatment of diarrhea (Mukhtar et al., 2011).

In Iran, the majority of caregivers had insufficient understanding of how to treat diarrhea (64.3%), and just 3.7% were knowledgeable of the warning symptoms of dehydration (Manijeh et al., 2013). Dehydration is the primary pathogenic mechanism through which diarrhea results in mortality and accounts for more than half of diarrhea-related fatalities in underdeveloped nations (KNBS, ICF Macro 2010). A thorough understanding of warning indicators is crucial since it may encourage early health-seeking activity on the part of the caregivers. Rapid medical intervention is essential for a kid exhibiting symptoms of dehydration in order to lower the death risk for children under the age of five (KNBS, ICF Macro 2010). The majority of caregivers for young children in Nakuru, Kenya, were unaware of the symptoms of dehydration and the risks of diarrhea. Also, they treated their children’s diarrhea improperly, which led to delayed hospital admissions and a high fatality rate (Mugo et al., 2007). A cross-sectional study of kids in the old Nyando district

 

In 2004, it was shown that the majority of caretakers for children under five years old could not identify the warning indications of dehydration (Othero et al., 2008). While several research on awareness of the warning indicators of dehydration have been conducted on a worldwide and even a national level, none of these studies investigated the influence of this awareness on the treatment of diarrhea at home, creating a knowledge vacuum. The majority of diarrhoea bouts are treated at home, and mothers are often the primary caretakers for kids under five. They are the ones who make decisions on the feeding and treatment of diarrhea in children, therefore their understanding of this prevalent ailment is crucial. To further enlighten the health service providers in this County, this research examined the knowledge of caregivers.

 

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