PARENTS’ KNOWLEDGE ABOUT FEVER IN CHILDREN

Objectives. Fever is believed to be one of the most frequent symptoms in children and one of the main reasons why parents seek medical help for their children. Although there have been nationwide informational campaigns about treatment of fever, there is a noticeable misinformation about fever and fever phobia can be observed. The aim of the study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding fever in children among Latvian parents.
Materials and Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out. The target audience was parents living in Latvia who have at least one child under the age of 18. A questionnaire was distributed in social portals during December 2022. The data was analysed using IBM SPSS program.
Results. A total of 327 valid answers were received. More than half of parents (63,9%) were confident in their knowledge about fever in children. However, only half of parents (53,5%) defined fever correctly as core temperature being > 38C. Only 16.5% (n = 54) believed that children need antipyretics even when their child had only fever and there were no other symptoms. Only 86,2% of parents would seek medical help if their child had fever and refused to drink and had no diuresis. Almost all respondents knew that fever can cause febrile seizures and dehydration. Although most parents also use non-pharmacological fever lowering methods, 10.1% of respondents use antipyretic drugs as the only mean to lower fever. When asked about the side effects of antipyretic drugs, 22.5% weren’t informed about them. In case of insufficient effect of antipyretic drugs 19.6% parents would seek immediate medical help by going to the emergency unit or calling an ambulance.
Conclusions. The data supports the evidence that parents’ knowledge about fever in children is insufficient and indicate need for more education and awareness about this topic to parents in Latvia.