Clinical characteristics and care outcomes of children under 5 years old with acute diarrhea at Hoe Nhai general Hospital in 2025

Abstract

Objective: To describe clinical and paraclinical characteristics and evaluate the care outcomes of children under 5 years old hospitalized with acute diarrhea at Hoe Nhai General Hospital in 2025. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 129 mothers and their 129 children under 5 years old who were hospitalized for acute diarrhea at Hoe Nhai General Hospital. The study utilized a two-part data collection tool: Part 1 gathered clinical and subclinical characteristics of the children from medical records; Part 2 consisted of a questionnaire for mothers to assess the nursing care activities. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 with frequency tables. Results: Upon hospital admission, clinical symptoms included fever (90.7%), vomiting (86.0%), poor appetite (96.1%), and abdominal distension (52.7%). Subclinical tests showed that 40.3% of children had elevated CRP levels; electrolyte tests indicated hyponatremia in 28.7% and hypokalemia in 25.5%. All children (100%) recovered from acute diarrhea and were discharged, with no cases progressing to severe conditions requiring transfer. The hospital stay was 7 days or fewer for 69.8% of the children; 99.2% did not develop prolonged diarrhea; and 86.8% had accompanying conditions resolved. The proportion of care rated as meeting expectations was 69.8%. Conclusion: The proportion of nursing care rated as meeting expectations was relatively high (69.8%). However, 30.2% of children stayed in the hospital for more than 7 days, and 13.2% had unresolved accompanying conditions at discharge.