Selecting the appropriate case management charts

The IMNCI chart booklet contains three charts for managing sick children aged two months up to five years, and a separate chart for managing sick young infants from birth up to two months.

Depending on the procedure for registering patients at the health post, the child's name, age and other information (such as address) may have been recorded already. If not, you should begin by asking the child's name and age, before deciding which age group a child is in, which will be either:

• Age birth up to two months, or
• Age two months up to five years.

You should then select the appropriate chart for the child. Figure 15.2 shows this decision-making process.

The IMNCI case management charts guide you through the following steps:

• Assess the sick child or sick young infant
• Classify the illness
• Identify the treatment
• Treat the child or young infant
• Counsel the mother
• Give follow-up care.

The case management steps are the same for all sick children from birth up to five years. However, because signs, classifications, treatments and counselling differ between sick young infants and sick children, it is essential to start the case management process by selecting the appropriate set of IMNCI charts. The charts, tables and registration books for the sick child aged two months up to five years are briefly described below.