IMCI Chart: Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses Guide

The Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) chart is a WHO/UNICEF-developed algorithmic tool for first-level health workers to assess, classify, and treat common illnesses in children aged 2 months to 5 years, especially in resource-limited settings.

Two Main Components

1. Assessment Chart: Guides systematic evaluation—check for danger signs (inability to drink, vomiting everything, convulsions, lethargy), then assess main symptoms (cough/difficult breathing, diarrhea, fever, ear problem, malnutrition, anemia). Classifies each illness by severity (pink/red/yellow/green).
2. Treatment Chart: Provides specific, evidence-based interventions per classification: oral rehydration salts (ORS) for diarrhea, antibiotics for pneumonia/dysentery, zinc supplementation, antimalarials, feeding counseling, and follow-up timing.

Impact

IMCI implementation has been shown to reduce under-five mortality, improve health worker performance, and optimize use of essential drugs in low-resource settings.