Preface

"Readings on Diarrhoea" is intended for medical students, especially during their clinical training in pediatrics. It will also be useful for physicians participating in training courses on the management of diarrhoea in children. The materials in this book are compatible with other WHO publications on the management and prevention of diarrhoea. Units that concern the management of children with diarrhoea are based on the WHO treatment chart "Management of the Patient with Diarrhoea" (1990). Portions of that chart are reproduced at appropriate places in this text.

"Readings on Diarrhoea" may be used as a source of practical information and as a manual of treatment guidelines. It will be more effective, however, if used in combination with organized teaching activities on diarrhoeal diseases, such as lectures, discussions, demonstrations, and supervised practice in treating cases. Readers are urged to check their understanding of the material by answering the questions that follow each unit. A companion book "References on Diarrhoea" contains related background articles that summarize current research and provide additional information on most topics covered in this text. This is made available to medical school libraries and other institutions conducting training in diarrhoea case management. An "Instructor's Manual" is available which provides guidance for medical faculty and other teachers about how the material in each unit of the text may be most effectively taught.

There are eight units to the training program:

· The epidemiology and etiology of diarrhoea
· Pathophysiology of diarrhoea
· Assessing the diarrhoea patient
· Treatment of diarrhoea at home
· Treatment of dehydrated patients
· Dysentery, persistent diarrhoea and diarrhoea associated with other diseases
· Diarrhoea and Nutrition
· Prevention of Diarrhoea

The complete set of these materials, including tables and diagrams can be ordered from CDH.