Improving the Uptake of Oral Rehydration Salts
Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) is the most effective treatment for diarrheal disease. ORS, a simple and inexpensive water, salt, and sugar solution, has saved millions of lives from diarrheal diseases. About half a million children died of diarrhea in 2017, making it the world’s second-largest cause of child mortality. Why is it that oral rehydration salts which cost just pennies to produce and reduces deaths from childhood diarrhea by over 90% only reaches four in 10 children? The Global Health & Innovation Lab explores effective ways to reach 10 out of 10 children by understanding the factors influencing the implementation of Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) in low- and middle-income countries.
Overview
Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) is the most effective treatment for diarrheal disease. ORS, a simple and inexpensive water, salt, and sugar solution, has saved millions of lives from diarrheal diseases. About half a million children died of diarrhea in 2017, making it the world’s second-largest cause of child mortality. Why is it that oral rehydration salts which cost just pennies to produce and reduces deaths from childhood diarrhea by over 90% only reaches four in 10 children? The Global Health & Innovation Lab explores effective ways to reach 10 out of 10 children by understanding the factors influencing the implementation of Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) in low- and middle-income countries.
The Global Health & Innovation Lab investigates why a gap exists between the knowledge and the uptake of ORT in LMICs by exploring the implementation of various ORT interventions. This lab uses an implementation science lens to understand the challenges and opportunities of current ORS interventions in LMICs. Based on the results of a comprehensive synthesis review the Global Health & Innovatoin Lab initiated in 2019, the lab is now developing recommendations on improving ORS implementation strategies to increase its coverage and uptake in LMICs and reduce childhood mortality of diarrheal diseases.
The Global Health & Innovation Lab aims to uncover key activities that facilitate the development of successful implementation that include: (1) availability and accessibility of ORT, (2) awareness and education among communities, (3) robust partnership engagement strategies, and (4) adaptable design to enhance acceptability.
Importance
The goal of the Global Health & Innovation Lab is to use their implementation research results to build knowledge on adapting ORT to national and local settings and contribute to a better understanding of the implementation and use of ORT in LMICs. The lab believes the prospects for scaling and sustaining ORT (after years of low use) will increase if implementation research informs local applications, implementers engage appropriate stakeholders, and test assumptions around localized theories of change from interventions to expected outcomes.
Research Questions
The research questions of this project include:
- What are the underlying factors to ORS implementation and uptake for children in LMICs?
- What are the challenges hindering the success ORS implementation and the opportunities that enhance ORS implementation in LMICs?
- How can we improve the implementation of ORS in LMICs?
Related Publications/Protocols:
- Ezezika, O., Ragunathan, A., El-Bakri, Y., & Barrett, K. (2021). Barriers and facilitators to implementation of oral rehydration therapy in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review. PloS one, 16(4), e0249638. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249638
Team:
- Funders: Flourish Collective, University of Toronto, Scarborough.
- Research Trainees: Yasmeen El-Bakri, Apira Ragunathan
- Librarian: Kathryn Barrett