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Despite the importance of accurate and rapid assessment of hydration status in patients with acute diarrhoea, no validated tools exist to help clinicians assess dehydration severity in older children and adults. The aim of this study is to validate a clinical decision support tool (CDST) and a simplified score for dehydration severity in older children and adults with acute diarrhoea (both developed during the NIRUDAK study) and compare their accuracy and reliability with current WHO guidelines.

A random sample of patients aged 5 years or older presenting with diarrhoea to the icddr,b Dhaka Hospital in Bangladesh between Jan 30 and Dec 13, 2022 were included in this prospective cohort study. Patients with fewer than three loose stools per day, more than 7 days of symptoms, previous enrolment in the study, or a diagnosis other than acute gastroenteritis were excluded. Patients were weighed …