Classes of medications prescribed to malnourished children and their relationship with time to recovery.

OBJECTIVE

There is conflicting evidence around prescription practices in the management of malnutrition; the study objective was to explore medication classifications prescribed and their relationship between time-to-recovery and specific demographic characteristics among children with malnutrition in Guatemala.

DESIGN

Descriptive correlational study of data obtained in a retrospective record review.

SAMPLE

Children aged 0-5 years with malnutrition treated in a Guatemalan Nutrition Rehabilitation Center between 2019 and 2020 (N = 155).

MEASURES

Variables assessed were medication classification of prescribed medications, age, gender, time-to-recovery, malnutrition severity, and COVID cohort.

RESULTS

The most frequently used medication classifications were vitamins (95%), respiratory (75%), antipyretic (68%), antibiotic (61%), and gastrointestinal agents (54%). Antibiotic, respiratory, corticosteroid, antipyretic, and gastrointestinal agents were prescribed significantly more in cases with a time-to-recovery of 6 weeks or greater.

CONCLUSIONS

Medication classifications prescribed most often were related to common comorbidities of malnutrition and illnesses affecting children in Guatemala, such as respiratory and diarrheal diseases. The medication used in cases with a time-to-recovery of ≥6 weeks suggest these cases may have had more comorbidities, which could explain the longer recovery times. Caution is suggested in routine prophylactic antibiotic use in public health settings, given the lack of association with improved recovery times, the potential for antibiotic drug resistance, and the negative effects on renal function among children.