Care seeking in pediatric wards :place of self-medication among the children received at teaching hospitals center Charles de Gaulle (Burkina Faso)

Abstract

The course of therapy refers to procedures used by individuals to obtain care by developing strategies that put them in relation with various treatment centers. The objective of our study was to investigate the course of therapy used by children received at the University Child Hospital Center (CHUP-CDG). This is a descriptive cross-cutting study conducted over three months. Data collection was done through an oral discussion guide with consenting parents. Parents or home nurses of 300 children hospitalized participated in the study. Most of children 's farn.ilies were living in urban area in 74% of cases. Consultation lime at CHUP-CDG was l to 2 days in 69.7% of cases. The average number of therapeutic use for this disease was 3 with extremes between 1 and 7. Most common symptoms found in children included fever (56.3%), diarrhea (9%) and cough (6%). In case of fever, 64% of parents first practice self-medication. This self-medication is source of delays in consulta­ tions, notably in case of fever.