Determining the fever-related knowledge and practices of mothers with children aged 1–5 years presenting to a child emergency service with fever complaints in Turkiye

Abstract

PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate and determine the knowledge and practices of mothers with children aged between 1 and 5 years presenting to a pediatric emergency service with fever complaints regarding fever management. Design and methodsThis study was descriptive and correlational study was conducted between March and May 2019 with mothers over the age of 18 who brought their children aged 1–5 years to the XX State Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department with fever complaints. To evaluate the descriptive characteristics of the mothers and their practices when their children had a fever, data were collected with a questionnaire form consisting of 36 open-ended questions and the Parents' Fever Management Scale-Turkish Version (PFMS-TR). The data were analyzed using the SPSS 21 software with frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, min-max values, chi-squared, Cronbach's alpha, ANOVA, t-test, Kruskal- Wallis test, post hoc analysis with Bonferroni correction and correlation analysis, where p < 0.05, was considered statistically significant. ResultsOf the mothers included in the study, 36.9% (n = 118) were between the ages of 33 and 39, 33.4% (n = 107) were graduates of higher education and 57.2% (n = 183) were homemakers. The mean number of people living at the homes of the participants was 4.26 ± 1.24 (min = 3, max = 8), the mean number of their children was 2.0 ±,97 (min = 1, max = 6), and the mean age of their children was 2.90 ± 1. 37 (min = 1, max = 5). The most common practices of the mothers when their children had fever were taking off their clothes and giving them antipyretic drugs. Moreover, the inappropriate practices of the mothers included rubbing the child with a vinegar and water mixture (11.9%) and cold application (8%). While 55.9% of the mothers were worried that the child would suffer post-fever convulsions 25.9% of them were worried that the child would suffer brain damage. A significant relationship was found between the mean scores of the mothers on PFMS-TR and their educational and economic statuses (p < 0.05). ConclusionsFears of fever are common in mothers, but their knowledge and practices about fever are inaccurate / incomplete. Practice implicationsParents should be informed about fever with up-to-date information by nurses, and the appropriate attitude should be established on this issue. Efficient educational activities can reduce fears of mothers and prevent ill-advised practices.