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Healthcare professionals approach paediatric fever in significantly different ways and fever phobia is not just limited to parents
Author(s) -
Martins Marta,
Abecasis Francisco
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.13406
Subject(s) - medicine , irritability , health professionals , antipyretic , family medicine , health care , anxiety , pediatrics , psychiatry , analgesic , economics , economic growth
Abstract Aim Fever is a benign process, but it is still frequently regarded as harmful. We aimed to evaluate the knowledge of parents and healthcare professionals on fever. Methods Data were obtained through questionnaires administered to a sample of parents and nurses in the paediatric emergency rooms of two hospitals and to family doctors and paediatricians currently practising in Portugal. Results We collected 265 answers from parents, 49 from nurses and 525 from doctors. Most nurses (74%), doctors (55%) and parents (43%) considered fever as a temperature above 38°C. The parents’ first reaction to a febrile child was to give them antipyretics, and acetaminophen was used most frequently (44%). Nurses considered that a child with fever must always be treated and that a history of febrile seizures was the most decisive factor in initiating treatment. On the other hand, the most important factor for paediatricians was the presence of discomfort. For parents (74%) and nurses (92%), the most feared effect of untreated fever was seizures, and for paediatricians (97%), it was irritability. Conclusion The parents’ and nurses’ attitudes demonstrated fear of fever and its consequences. The approach to paediatric fever was significantly different among healthcare professionals.