Resumen

AFONSO, Ivete et al. Parental knowledge, concerns, and attitudes regarding fever. Rev Port Med Geral Fam [online]. 2018, vol.34, n.5, pp.268-272. ISSN 2182-5173.  https://doi.org/10.32385/rpmgf.v34i5.12309.

Aim: To characterize parents’ knowledge, concerns, and attitudes towards a child with fever, in order to design a future intervention project on this subject for the population. Type of study: Descriptive and analytic cross-sectional study. Location: USF Lagoa. Population: All parents or caregivers of children aged between 29 days and 36 months, enrolled in USF Lagoa. Methods: Study conducted between September and December 2015, through the distribution of a survey to the caregiver, either by telephone or in person, in case the patient had an appointment during this time period. Data were analyzed with Microsoft Excel 2010®. This study is reported according to the STROBE guidelines. Results: A total of 248 parents/caregivers were interviewed. Eighty-three percent of the participants evaluated the temperature in the armpit and 40% considered fever for values below 37.5 °C. The majority (54.7%) chooses paracetamol as the drug of choice, and 30% knows the adequate dose to be administered. Seizures are considered the main complication associated with fever (62.1%). Fifty percent of the participants seek medical care as soon as the fever appears or in the first day of illness, and the primary care center is the care setting of election for half of the respondents. Conclusions: Wrong perceptions and attitudes towards fever persist nowadays. It is vital to reinforce parents’ and caregivers’ knowledge on the management and treatment of fever, in order to reduce anxiety and to improve care for febrile children.

Palabras clave : Antipyretics; Fever; Health information.

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