Evaluation of Fever Management and Rational Drug Use in Mothers of Children Under the Age of Five

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the parental practices towards fever management and rational drug use in mothers with children under the age of five. Materials and Method:This research was planned as a cross-sectional analytical study. The study was conducted on 342 mothers with children under five years of age who applied to family health centers (FHCs). The Parental Fever Management Scale (PFMS-TR) and Rational Drug Use Scale (RDUS) were applied to the participants. Results:The average age of the mothers was 30.8±5.7 years, and 50.6% (n=173) had high school education or above. Of the participants, 89.5% (n=306) stated that they had a thermometer at home and 49.7% (n=170) first sensed that their children had a fever by touching them, while 38% (n=130) understood by their appearance, and 38.3% (n=126) applied to FHCs first for treatment. There was a significant correlation between the mothers' PFMS scores and their age, marital, planned pregnancy, educational status and place of residence (p<0.05). There was a significant relationship between the RDUS scores and age at marriage, age at first birth, employment status, kinship status with spouse, presence of caregivers, educational status, place of residence, family type, and economic situation (p<0.05). Conclusion:Although almost all of the mothers had a thermometer at home, it was noteworthy that only one-tenth detected the fever using a thermometer. It was observed that mothers who have a high school education or above, are employed, marry at an advanced age, and give birth after the age of 22, use the drugs more rationally. The family physician is mostly the first person to that parents apply. Informing the parents of a febrile child about how they should approach the situation will both relax the family and reduce unnecessary applications to health institutions.

Parents’ Knowledge and Management of Fever: “Parents Versus Fever!”

“…20 - 26 On the other hand, the probability of parents seeking medical help on the first day of fever has increased significantly in these 20 years (1.9%-18.1% vs. 53.5%-64.3%). 20 , 21 , 24 , 27 Considering that although the accessibility of medical help has increased over the years, there has been no significant change in parents ’ concerns that fever would cause febrile seizure (86.6% vs. 89.4%), 20 , 24 it can be thought that Turk parents feel more inadequate in home care of pediatric fever over the years. In this respect, our study shows that although communication skills have increased today, similar to previous studies, there is still a lack of information on accurately defining fever and therefore seeking medical help.…”