E-drug: Re: Encouraging pediatricians to recommend ORT (cont'd)
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Regarding the ways and means to motivate the Pediatricians to propagate
the use of ORS to the suffering young ones, the only way out is the
commitment on the part of the prescribers regarding the appropriate or
rational use of drugs or medicines. In our system of medical practice,
most of our prescribers (pediatricians) are working under one form or
other pressures, like overcrowding of patients, short duration of the
consulting time available etc.etc.
So if you look at the average consulting time spend for a patient, it will
be invariably less than 5 minutes or so. During this short period the doctor
has to make a history taking, clinical examination and a provisional
diagnosis. Then he has to prescribe and counsel the patient or the parent
regarding the intake
of medicines etc. But in real practice these are not taking place in the
appropriate sequence or order and the doctor is forced to cut short his
conversation with the parent or the parents. Some doctors believe they
have to make some prescription to satisfy the patient or the parent
while most of the patients or parents expects some quick-fixes for their
illness. So the problem is with both the prescriber and the consumer.
The remedy is, Motivation on the part of the prescribers regarding the
importance of spending more time with the patients and talking freely
with them regarding their illness and about any Non-drug option in the
management of the problem like ORS usage in uncomplicated diarrhoea etc
so that the patient/parents confidence increases, which will have a
dramatic influence on the recovery also.
Similarly motivation of the mothers regarding the effective use of
ORS will make them more confident and compliant.
Ultimately the appropriate knowledge, the outlook and the motivation to
prescribe and practice Rationally are the need of the hour to overcome
this bottle-neck which should be included in the medical schools
during their pharmacological, epidemiological and therapeutics training.
Dr.S.Gopalakrishnan
drsgopal@md3.vsnl.net.in
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