title: Oral rehydration therapy in emergency departments.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the management of acute diarrhea in emergency departments with emphasis on the type of hydration and exploring factors associated with prescription of oral rehydration therapy vs. intravenous rehydration therapy for children with dehydration that is not severe.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a descriptive study conducted from January to May of 2008 observing case management of children with non-severe dehydration due to acute diarrhea at two emergency units (A and B) in Recife, Brazil. Emergency unit B is affiliated to a teaching hospital. The primary variables were: 1) type of hydration prescribed, 2) associations with the characteristics of the children and emergency department (A or B).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 166 children took part in the study. The rates of prescription of oral rehydration therapy were similar at both services (32.2 vs. 31.6% for A and B, respectively, p = 0.93) and were lower for cases with moderate dehydration (17.6%) compared with mild dehydration (35.6%) (p = 0.07). Neither service had a dedicated oral rehydration room.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most children were given intravenous rehydration therapy, especially those with moderate dehydration, without differences according type of service: whether a teaching institution or healthcare provider only.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil. doradami@gmail.com
authors.forename: Auxiliadora Damianne P Vieira da
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Gisélia Alves Pontes da
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003681:Dehydration / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000150:complications*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D005440:Fluid Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index