"Underused Treatment for Childhood Diarrhea: The Concerning Lack of ORS Prescriptions"
Despite being a cheap and effective treatment for childhood diarrhea, oral rehydration salts (ORS) are underused, leading to nearly 500,000 deaths annually. A study in India found that doctors' failure to prescribe ORS was primarily due to the assumption that parents would not be satisfied with it. Financial incentives for doctors and over-prescription of antibiotics also contribute to underuse. Shifting responsibility from patients to healthcare providers, the study highlights the need to increase ORS use to save millions of young lives.
