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Child Health Resources

Experience has made us realize short-term medical teams could help in saving lives. Incorporating child health standards for developing communities and working alongside local health systems to implement these standards could make a significant impact in these communities.  In the study of Health Development we also realized health education is an important component. Even the traditional model of medical missions provides a captive audience for education efforts.  In fact the most important mindset shift that could be made was that health education and prevention, not prescribing medication, needed to be the primary focus.

 

IMCI Integrated Management of Childhood Illness is the standard of care for pediatrics in developing communities. All volunteer medical groups caring for children in developing communities need to be farmiliar with these WHO/UNICEF  guidelines. IMCI includes protocols on assessment,  treatment, and parental couselling. IMCI also includes guidelines for what can  safely be treated at the rural health outpost level, and what cases need referal for hospital admission.  You can download the the complete computer based  training course from this website 

http://healthservicecorps.org/imci.html   The IMCI chart booklet to assess, classify and treat children in developing communities is attached below, along with other IMCI  resources. 

 Martindale Virtual Medical Center for Pediatrics 
 
Link to UNICEF Video on Child Mortality
Video
12 September 2008: UNICEF correspondent Roshni Karwal reports on newly released data showing a continued decline in child mortality.
 VIDEO  high | low

 

 

Model IMCI handbook: Integrated management of childhood illness

 

Authors: World Health Organization; UNICEF
Number of pages: 163
Publication date: 2005
Languages: English
ISBN: 9241546441
WHO reference number: WHO/FCH/CAH/00.12

English (revised) [pdf 1.27Mb] 

French (2000) [pdf 1.32Mb]
  
IMCI Chart Booklet
Required Reference for Christian Health Service Mission Trips
 
IMCI was first developed in 1992 by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) with the aim of prevention, or early detection and treatment of the leading childhood killers.

The IMCI initiative adopted a broad, cross-cutting approach recognizing that in most cases, more than one underlying cause contributes to the illness of the child. A great deal has been learned from disease-specific control programmes over the past 15 years. IMCI attempts to combine the lessons learned into an effective approach for managing the sick child.

While the management of childhood illness focuses on treatment, it also provides the opportunity to emphasize prevention of illness through education on the importance of immunization, micronutrient supplementation, and improved nutrition – especially
oral rehydration therapy (ORT), breastfeeding and infant feeding. IMCI seeks to reduce childhood mortality and morbidity by improving family and community practices for the home management of illness, and improving case management of skills of health workers in the wider health system.

Key factors in the child’s immediate environment – nutrition, hygiene, immunizations - are as important as medical treatment in improving health.  IMCI is the umbrella through which all community health interventions can be delivered to the child.
LATEST DOCUMENTS
 LATEST DOCUMENTS

Global prevalance of Vitamin A deficiency in populations at risk 1995-2005
Full information 
Learning from large-scale community-based programmes to improve breastfeeding practices
Full information 
Infant and young child feeding:
Model Chapter for textbooks for medical students and allied health professionals
Full information

 

BASIC GUIDELINES

WHO child growth standards and the identification of severe acute malnutrition in infants and children
A Joint Statement by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund

English | French

Community-based management of severe acute malnutrition
A Joint Statement by the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, the United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition and the United Nations Children’s Fund   Full information

Attachments (22)

  • Chartbooklet.pdf - on Dec 10, 2008 2:43 PM by Gregory Seager 
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  • Family Practices that support Child Survival.pdf - on Nov 28, 2009 1:21 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • Guide01-Director.doc - on Dec 10, 2008 2:57 PM by Gregory Seager 
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  • Guide02-Facilitator.doc - on Dec 10, 2008 2:57 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • Guide03-Outpatient.doc - on Dec 10, 2008 2:58 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • Guide04-Inpatient.doc - on Dec 10, 2008 2:59 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • Help Improve attachment.wmv - on Dec 10, 2008 3:06 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • TS-ARI.doc - on Dec 10, 2008 2:36 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • TS-Diarrhoea.doc - on Dec 10, 2008 2:38 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • TS-Malaria.doc - on Dec 10, 2008 2:41 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • TS-Malnutrition.doc - on Dec 10, 2008 2:40 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • TS-MalnutritionNEW[1].ppt - on Dec 10, 2008 2:39 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • TS-Sick_Young_Infant.doc - on Dec 10, 2008 2:42 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • TS_ARI_ENG[2].ppt - on Dec 10, 2008 2:36 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • TS_DIARRHOEA_ENG[1].ppt - on Dec 10, 2008 2:37 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • TS_MALARIA_ENG[1].ppt - on Dec 10, 2008 2:41 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • TS_SICK_YOUNG_INFANT_ENG[1].ppt - on Dec 10, 2008 2:42 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • WHO_FCH_CAH_00.1.pdf - on Apr 28, 2009 4:19 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • WHO_FCH_CAH_00.12.pdf - on Jan 10, 2009 1:37 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • WHO_FCH_CAH_99.1A[1].pdf - on Jan 10, 2009 1:39 PM by Gregory Seager
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  • WTND_Chapter_21.pdf - on May 3, 2009 11:25 PM by Gregory Seager
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