Fading confidence: A qualitative exploration of parents’ experiences caring for a febrile child

Abstract

Aims and objectives To explore parents’ experiences with paediatric fever to understand their needs for information and support. Background Paediatric fever is a normal part of childhood, and multiple episodes of fever are a common occurrence between infancy and adulthood. Despite this expectation, paediatric fever often sparks fear and anxiety amongst parents. Existing research has primarily focused on measuring parental deficits, so a more in‐depth exploration is helpful to understand the complexities of caring for a febrile child. Design Qualitative descriptive study. Methods Purposive sampling of N = 15 parents from a paediatric emergency department presenting with a febrile child. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted in‐person or via telephone. Thematic analysis was used to understand the data in the light of our research question. Reporting follows the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research checklist. Results We found themes of (a) parental confidence through caregiving tasks, (b) emergent feelings of inadequacy, (i) referrals and limitations of community practice, (c) information needs and (d) information sources. Whereas parents were initially confident accessing information, providing care, making decisions and managing symptoms, new signs/symptoms sparked a change in parents’ emotions, coping and behaviour. Parents routinely search for information about paediatric fever and value reliable, accessible resources. Conclusions Our findings highlight parents’ strengths assessing fever and effectively managing symptoms. We are encouraged by the potential for these results to inform the development of empowering resources to help parents make child health decisions during paediatric fever. Relevance to clinical practice Findings provide an evidence base for researchers, clinicians and policymakers to improve care for paediatric patients and families. Parents want clear, reliable and accessible information about decision points associated with paediatric fever. Resources with an empowerment focus may help parents maintain a sense of control when caring for a febrile child.

Exploring Latino Perspectives in Childhood Fever: Beliefs, Practices, and Needs

“…The findings in this study are congruent with those in previous Latino studies and recent studies in parents of other racial and ethnic groups suggesting a lack of progress in fever education and interventions overall (Acorda et al, 2020; Thompson et al, 2020). This study adds to the literature by providing a more current and in-depth understanding of Latino parental decisions around fever.…”

Diagnostic Value of Clinical Presentation, Parental Concern, and Clinician’s Non-Analytical Reasoning in Identifying Serious Bacterial Infections in Febrile Children. Doctoral Thesis

“…Several interventions are necessary to decrease fever phobia in parents. First of all, parents should be provided with a clear, reliable, and consistent information on how to assess the severity of illness in their child, when to seek help, and how to manage fever at home [49,287,290]. This could be done by providing clear and written instructions during visit, handouts or other audio-visual aids [45,[290][291][292][293].…”

“…"Fever phobia" by parents, first described decades ago [42], is still present nowadays despite widely available information on proper management of fever in children [43][44][45][46][47], and one of the main causes of non-urgent visits to ED [45,48]. Recognition of this anxiety and exploration of the triggers for it is the key for improvement of communication with the caregivers, and would enable clinicians to construct educational measures to reduce the concern raised by fever itself and empower parents to manage their child's fever properly and with confidence [47,49,50].…”

Klīnisko pazīmju kopuma, vecāku un ārstu intuitīvā novērtējuma nozīme smagu bakteriālu infekciju diagnostikā bērniem ar drudzi. Promocijas darba kopsavilkums

“…Vecākiem raksturīgā "drudža fobija", kas pirmo reizi aprakstīta pirms vairākām desmitgadēm [41], vēl joprojām novērojama arī mūsdienās, par spīti plaši pieejamai informācijai par bērnu ar drudzi pareizu aprūpi [42][43][44][45][46], un tā ir pamatā nozīmīgam daudzumam nepamatoto Neatliekamās palīdzības nodaļu apmeklējumu [44,47]. Šo nepamatoto baiļu un to veicinošo faktoru atpazīšanai ir būtiska loma komunikācijas ar vecākiem uzlabošanai, un tā palīdzētu klīnicistiem izstrādāt atbilstošu pacientu un vecāku izglītošanas stratēģiju, tādējādi ne tikai mazinot vecāku bažas, bet arī radot viņos pārliecību par savām spējām pareizi aprūpēt bērnu [46,48,49]. Papildus tā palīdzētu klīnicistiem atšķirt vecāku "drudža fobiju" no patiesām bažām, ka bērna stāvoklis attiecīgajā drudža epizodē ir nopietnāks nekā iepriekš, kas savukārt uzlabotu febrilu pacientu izvērtēšanas un diagnostikas procesu.…”