Abstract
Purpose
This 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 methods
This 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.
Results
Of 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).
Conclusions
Fears of fever are common in mothers, but their knowledge and practices about fever
are inaccurate / incomplete.
Practice implications
Parents 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.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 06, 2022
Accepted:
November 19,
2022
Received in revised form:
November 19,
2022
Received:
April 24,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
