Essential Drugs for Primary Health Care

An illustrated manual designed to help community health workers learn how to use simple drugs to treat common illnesses.

Specific to health conditions in Southeast Asian countries, the book uses simple explanatory texts and illustrations to communicate instructions for treating illnesses and knowing when a patient must be referred to a doctor. First issued in 1988 and revised in 1992, the book has been further expanded and updated in line with new knowledge and considerable experience with use of the previous editions. The manual has two parts. The first provides instructions for the correct and appropriate use of 34 essential drugs, ranging from aspirin and paracetamol, through chloroquine and oral re-hydration salts, to penicillin tetracycline eye ointment and several vitamins. Each is described according to a common framework that explains how the drug helps, when it should be used, how it is supplied and given to patients, side effects that may occur, and special precautions to follow. Where appropriate, information on dosage and prescribing schedule by age and weight is set out in tabular form. Part two provides advice for the management or referral of 22 common medical problems moving from anemia, cough, diarrhea, and ear and eye problems through HIV/AIDS, leprosy, malaria and tuberculosis, to poisoning, snakebites, wounds, burns, and shock. Advice on pain relief and on the management of skin and tooth problems is also provided.