15.4  Assess and classify the sick child aged two months to five years

When you see the mother, or the child’s caregiver, with the sick child you should:

• Greet the mother appropriately and ask about the child
• Look to see if the child’s weight and temperature have been recorded
• Ask the mother what the child’s problems are
• Determine if this is an initial (first) or follow-up visit for this episode of an illness or problem.

If the child was seen a few days before for the same illness, this is a follow-up visit. A follow-up visit has a different purpose from an initial visit. During a follow-up visit, you find out if the treatment given during the initial visit has helped the child. If the child is not improving or is getting worse after a few days, you need to make a decision whether to refer the child to a hospital or change the child’s treatment.