Knowledge, Attitude and Beliefs of Parents Regarding Fever in Children

Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitude and belief of Parents about fever in their children and how they respond to it while at home and when they seek medical attention.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to know the preexisting knowledge of parents about fever in their children and to impart additional knowledge to them.

Materials and Methods: A Cross- Sectional study in the form of a questionnaire was conducted at a tertiary care hospital among parents of children visiting the outpatient department and those admitted as inpatient with fever. Children who presented to the emergency room and those with chronic illnesses were not included. Majority of the primary caregivers was the child's mother, and family becomes the 1st point of contact for the intervention, hence we chose family. As per our department that at least 80% of children were primarily brought to OP for fever, and 90% of those admitted in wards were for febrile illnesses, with or without other associated problems, we asked the statistician to come up with an adequate number and we were given.

Results: A total of 100 parents were selected and interviewed. The informants were mostly mothers (83%). Most of the children were brought to outpatient department within the first five days of onset of fever (68%). The parents said that they confirmed the fever by touch(86%)and most of them prefer to consult the pediatrician before giving any medication (56%).The most common symptoms which were seen associated with fever are cough, cold and running nose (54%).The most common cause for worry amongst parents are complications like febrile seizures (43%).

Conclusion: Fever is one of the most common complaints with which patients come to the hospital. Majority of parents in this study do not have the practice of documenting fever at home with a thermometer. Inadequate parental knowledge about the nature of fever can lead to poor management. Appropriate education helps them to take appropriate measures when their child develops fever.