What parents think of fever
| Autor: | I Blumenthal |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1999 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Parents medicine.medical_specialty Health Knowledge Attitudes Practice Paediatric clinic Fever Thermometers Objective (goal) Health knowledge Body Temperature Surveys and Questionnaires medicine Humans Antipyretic Intensive care medicine Child business.industry Outcome measures Questionnaire Health Services Patient Acceptance of Health Care Forehead thermometer Self Care Family medicine Self care Family Practice business medicine.drug |
| Zdroj: | Family practice. 15(6) |
| ISSN: | 0263-2136 |
| Popis: | Objectives We aimed to assess knowledge, perception and management of fever by parents. Methods We conducted a questionnaire survey among 392 parents of children attending locally a paediatric clinic at The Royal Oldham Hospital. The main outcome measures were answers to questions covering a variety of aspects of the knowledge, perception and management of fever by parents. Results Almost half the parents used a liquid crystal forehead thermometer. Most could not use a glass thermometer. Thirty per cent did not know normal body temperature and would have treated children with a temperature below 38 degrees C. Sixty-four per cent treated fever with both paracetamol and tepid sponging. Most parents awakened children at night for antipyretics. Eighty-one per cent thought that untreated fever was most likely to cause fits or brain damage and 7% thought it could cause death. Conclusion Parents perceive fever as being dangerous. They have a poor knowledge and measure it inaccurately. Needless consultations and hospital admissions could be avoided by a change in perception. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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