Expectant Parents’ Understanding of the Implications and Management of Fever in the Neonate

Abstract

ObjectiveWe estimated the extent to which Canadian expectant parents would seek medical care in a febrile neonate (age 30 days or less). We also evaluated expectant parents’ knowledge of signs and symptoms of fever in a neonate, and explored the actions Canadian expectant parents would take to optimize the health of their child.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of a sample of expectant parents from a large urban center in Canada. We recruited participants from waiting rooms in an obstetrical ultrasound clinic located in an urban tertiary care hospital in Montreal, Canada. We asked participants nine questions about fever in neonates including if, and how, they would seek care for their neonate if they suspected he/she were febrile.ResultsAmong the 355 respondents, (response rate 87%) we found that 75% of parents reported that they would take their febrile neonate for immediate medical assessment, with nearly one fifth of the sample reporting that they would not seek medical care. We found no significant associations between the choice to seek medical care and expectant parents socio-demographic characteristics.ConclusionsDespite universal access to high quality health care in Canada, our study highlights concerning gaps in the knowledge of the care of the febrile infant in one fifth of expectant parents. Physicians and health providers should strive to provide early education to expectant parents about how to recognize signs of fever in the neonate and how best to seek medical care. This may improve neonatal health outcomes in Canada.

Fever phobia 35 years later: did we fail?

“…These efforts will need to consider the persistent gap in knowledge and behaviour about the early detection of at-risk situations. For example, a Canadian study found that nearly one-fifth of expectant parents (17%) reported that they would not seek medical care for their febrile neonate (11) and a French population-based study reported a delay in seeking medical care in one-third of fatal cases of febrile bacterial infections (12). The key to reassuring parents and professionals alike is to provide good safety net advice for parents and professionals, covering when parents should seek help from a professional and when healthcare professionals should refer a child for investigation or specialist care (7).…”