A home- and clinic-based growth chart for Dominica.

Following various meetings with nursing and medical personnel in Dominica it was decided to implement a combination of home- and clinic-based child growth charts. These charts measure weights of children at regular intervals and record information on immunizations nutritional habits and previous illnesses. They are considered a vital part of child health care for pre-school children in developing countries. The Dominican charts are mainly based on the format proposed by the World Health Organization in 1978. An advantage of a combination of home- and clinic-based charts is that the information about the children is present in the health centers which facilitates home-visiting and locating children who do not reture to the clinics. In addition it is easier to carry out statistical analysis of data on children seen in a clinic. Disadvantages are that it takes extra time to enter the growth data twice and to file and search for the charts. Therefore such a combination can only be used when the patient load per health worker is not too great. 5 years of experience with these charts in Saint Lucia and the 1st impressions gained in Dominca are indicating that home-based charts are feasible in the Caribbean. This system is particularly useful in this Region where people move rather frequently and have contacts with many different health workers. The communication among health workers can be greatly enhanced by such charts. Regional recommendations and guidelines could facilitate the introduction of home records into the various territories.