Diarrhea

• Can I talk to a doctor on Gotodoctor.ca about my diarrhea?

Yes, Gotodoctor.ca provides virtual care services for diarrhea. A doctor will take a comprehensive in-depth history and may provide you with prescriptions. Depending on the severity of symptoms further recommendations will be provided. If a patient is suffering from severe diarrhea the doctor will direct him to clinic treatment as the patient can be dehydrated.

• What is diarrhea?

Diarrhea results in abdominal pain and cramps. Diarrhea should be treated promptly to avoid extreme dehydration and associated renal failure^[1]. The aetiology of diarrhoea includes bacterial agents which enter the body through contaminated food, allergies, medication, radiation, malabsorption of the food and pre-toxins from other infectious organisms^[2].

• What are the symptoms of diarrhea?

Symptoms of diarrhea include loose, watery stools, abdominal cramping and pain, fever, dehydration, nausea and vomiting^[3]. A doctor will be able to diagnose diarrhea at the clinic by identifying characteristic symptoms. Symptoms associated with diarrhoea are Hematochezia (passage of fresh blood with stools), severe dehydration, loss of consciousness and abdominal cramps. Due to nausea and vomiting, food intake is reduced and there is an observable weight loss and generalized weakness in the body^[4]. If diarrhea is left untreated, it may lead to serious complications such as loss of fluid and electrolytes from the body. Red flags of diarrhea are blood in the stools and renal failure with poor fluid retention^{[5, 6]}.

• How is diarrhea treated?

A doctor decides on treatment after taking a comprehensive history of the patient^[7]. First of all, life-threatening conditions are excluded by the doctor at the clinic^[8]. Pain relief medications may be prescribed to make the patient free of abdominal pain. Prescriptions for anti-rotavirus drugs may be provided, especially in pediatric age group suffering from the rotavirus infection and prescriptions for anti-motility drugs also may be provided for diarrhea^[9-12]. Dehydration is also managed with the prescription of oral and intravenous rehydrating solutions.

• How can an online doctor on Gotodoctor.ca treat diarrhoea?

Online doctors on Gotodoctor.ca treat diarrhea through virtual care services. An appointment can be easily made with an online doctor. Diarrhoea can be treated via virtual care methods^{[5, 9, 10, 13-18]}. An online doctor will take a comprehensive history of your signs and symptoms and may provide you with prescriptions. Prescriptions can be obtained by online doctors. Virtual care services provided by Gotodoctor.ca assure comfort, convenience and a higher level of care for the patient.

References

1. Schiller, L.R., Diarrhea. Medical Clinics of North America, 2000. 84(5): p. 1259-1274.
2. Wierzba, T.F., et al., Clinic-based surveillance for bacterial-and rotavirus-associated diarrhoea in Egyptian children. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 2006. 74(1): p. 148-153.
3. Brown, K.H., Diarrhea and malnutrition. The Journal of nutrition, 2003. 133(1): p. 328S-332S.
4. Dolin, B., Effects of a proprietary Bacillus coagulans preparation on symptoms of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. Methods and findings in experimental and clinical pharmacology, 2009. 31(10): p. 655-659.
5. Eaton, L.H., et al., Development and implementation of a telehealth-enhanced intervention for pain and symptom management. Contemporary clinical trials, 2014. 38(2): p. 213-220.
6. Staub, G.M., J. von Overbeck, and E. Blozik, Teleconsultation in children with abdominal pain: a comparison of physician triage recommendations and an established paediatric telephone triage protocol. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2013. 13: p. 110-110.
7. Dandona, P., et al., Diarrhea and metformin in a diabetic clinic. Diabetes care, 1983. 6(5): p. 472-474.
8. Rahaman, M.M., et al., A diarrhea clinic in rural Bangladesh: influence of distance, age, and sex on attendance and diarrheal mortality. American journal of public health, 1982. 72(10): p. 1124-1128.
9. Almathami, H.K.Y., K.T. Win, and E. Vlahu-Gjorgievska, Barriers and Facilitators That Influence Telemedicine-Based, Real-Time, Online Consultation at Patients’ Homes: Systematic Literature Review. J Med Internet Res, 2020. 22(2): p. e16407.
10. Deldar, K., K. Bahaadinbeigy, and S.M. Tara, Teleconsultation and Clinical Decision Making: a Systematic Review. Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, 2016. 24(4): p. 286-292.
11. Okubo, Y., et al., Recent prescription patterns for children with acute infectious diarrhea. Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, 2019. 68(1): p. 13-16.
12. Supcharassaeng, S. and C. Suankratay, Antibiotic prescription for adults with acute diarrhea at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand, 2011. 94(5): p. 545.
13. Gunasekeran, D.V., et al., Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of Follow-up for Patients With Abdominal Pain Using Video Consultation (SAVED Study): Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 2020. 22(6): p. e17417-e17417.
14. Myers, D.R., et al., Towards remote assessment and screening of acute abdominal pain using only a smartphone with native accelerometers. Scientific Reports, 2017. 7(1): p. 12750.
15. Staub, G., J. Overbeck, and E. Blozik, Teleconsultation in children with abdominal pain: A comparison of physician triage recommendations and an established paediatric telephone triage protocol. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2013. 13: p. 110.
16. Bokolo Anthony, J., Use of Telemedicine and Virtual Care for Remote Treatment in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Medical Systems, 2020. 44(7): p. 132.
17. Wang, X., et al., Impact of Telemedicine on Healthcare Service System Considering Patients’ Choice. Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, 2019. 2019: p. 7642176.
18. Williams, O.E., et al., The use of telemedicine to enhance secondary care: some lessons from the front line. Future healthcare journal, 2017. 4(2): p. 109-114.