OTP Program Admittance
You must first explain to the caregivers what will happen now
as their child enters the OTP program.
Once the caregiver has agreed to the OTP program
you will register the child's screening results on the OTP card
and begin immediate treatment
following the outpatient therapeutic program protocol.
By this time you should have designated a day of the week
that will be standard OTP day for your village
Children joining the OTP program should be given enough ready-to-use therapeutic foods to last them until the next OTP date
after which they will receive weekly rations.
Counseling on ready-to-use therapeutic foods
You should inform caretakers that
ready-to-use therapeutic food is a food and medicine for malnourished children only.
It should not be shared with other members of their family
For breastfed children, always give breast milk before the ready-to-use therapeutic food
and on-demand ready-to-use therapeutic foods should be given before other foods.
Give small regular meals of ready-to-use therapeutic foods and encourage the child to eat often,
every three to four hours.
Always offer plenty of clean water to drink
while eating ready-to-use therapeutic foods.
Caretakers should use soap and water to wash his or her hands before feeding.
Keep food clean in cupboard.
Sick children get cold quickly, always keep the child covered and warm.
Ready-to-use therapeutic foods are given to children based on their weight.
You have to refer to the prescription table before prescribing and give the ready-to-use therapeutic foods accordingly.
Checking weight of a child
Weight is used to follow the progress of the child and subsequently decide the completion of treatment.
You should take the following steps to measure weight.
Explain the procedure to the child's mother or caregiver before starting.
Install a 25 kg hanging spring scale graduated by 100 grams.
If mobile weighing is needed the scale can be hooked on a tree or a stick held by two people.
Attach the washing basin or pans and recalibrate to zero.
Remove the child's clothing and place him or her into the basin.
Ensure nothing is touching the child in the basin or pans.
Read the scale at eye level.
If the child is moving about and the needle does not stabilize, estimate weight by using the value situated at the midpoint
of the range of oscillations.
When the child is steady, read the measurements to the nearest 100 grams
and record.
Make sure that you calibrate the scale with a material with known weight every week
in order to keep the accuracy of the scales.
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