From pedialyte to popsicles: a look at oral rehydration therapy used in the United States and Canada.

To obtain information on the attitudes and practices concerning oral rehydration therapy in the United States and Canada, a questionnaire was sent to the chairmen of departments of pediatrics of 142 medical colleges. Some form of oral fluid therapy for treatment of diarrheal dehydration is used by the institutions of all 128 survey respondents. The most commonly used fluids, commercial sugar-electrolyte solutions (89%), clear liquids (78%), and fruit juices (58%) have very different compositions and concentrations of ingredients. Oral therapy is based on a specific written protocol at 30% of the institutions and is used most frequently to treat outpatients with mild dehydration. To determine a uniform and optimal approach to oral fluid treatment for diarrhea, comparative clinical trials are needed to assess which fluid compositions and concentrations are most effective in preventing dehydration and in treating dehydration once it has occurred.