An important part of your role is to explain to the caregiver how to help with the out-patient treatment.

You should always make sure that the caregiver is fully aware of the condition of the child, and the need for weekly follow-up visits until the child reaches the discharge criteria.

If the condition of the child progresses smoothly, the child normally recovers within five to seven weeks.

Some children could take longer, however, and after eight weeks, if there has been nor or little improvement, you will need to stop the  out-patient treatment and refer the child to a TFU.

In addition to the need for weekly follow-up visits, you should make sure that the caregiver clearly understands the dosage and frequency of each of the drugs as well as the weekly ration of RUTF to give to the child.

It is usually good to ask the caregiver to repeat to you how they will administer the RUTF and drugs after you have finished explaining the details to them. This will enable you to verify if the message has been correctly understood by them.

Last modified: Tuesday, 27 May 2014, 10:18 PM