Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Dec;33(6):1074-1081.
doi: 10.1111/1742-6723.13804. Epub 2021 Jun 17.

Fever phobia in caregivers presenting to New Zealand emergency departments

Donagh MacMahon  1 , Christine Brabyn  2   3 , Stuart R Dalziel  3   4   5 , Christopher Jd McKinlay  6   7 , Eunicia Tan  1   5
Affiliations

Fever phobia in caregivers presenting to New Zealand emergency departments

Donagh MacMahon et al. Emerg Med Australas. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of fever phobia among caregivers of children presenting to New Zealand EDs.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to caregivers of children <5 years of age presenting to three New Zealand EDs. We defined fever phobia as caregivers having a high level of concern regarding fever or having incorrect beliefs regarding the consequences of fever.

Results: A total of 502 caregivers completed the survey. Fever phobia was present in 365 (74.3% [95% confidence interval, CI 70.3-78.0%]) respondents, with 242 (49.3% [95% CI 44.9-53.7%]) caregivers reporting a high level of concern regarding fever, and 288 (61.8% [95% CI 57.3-66.1%]) caregivers reporting at least one incorrect belief regarding the consequences of fever. Majority of caregivers (n = 383, 87.6% [95% CI 84.2-90.4%]) knew the correct dosing interval for paracetamol, compared to less than half of caregivers (n = 179, 42.5% [95% CI 37.9-47.3%]) for ibuprofen. Caregivers reported non-evidence-based fever management practices such as sponging, always giving paracetamol and/or ibuprofen for fever, and waking children from sleep to give antipyretics. Over one-third of caregivers identified ED doctors (n = 195, 40.2% [95% CI 34.7-43.2%]) and ED nurses (n = 173, 35.7% [95% CI 31.5-40.0%]) as sources of information regarding fever management. A higher level of education was associated with fever phobia (odds ratio 1.68 [95% CI 1.04-2.72], P = 0.04).

Conclusions: Fever phobia is prevalent among caregivers of children presenting to New Zealand EDs. Opportunistic caregiver education in the ED in conjunction with public health strategies are needed to dispel undue fears and misconceptions about fever.

Keywords: antipyretics; child; emergency department; fever; hospital.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Alpern E. Epidemiology of a pediatric emergency medicine research network. Pediatr. Emerg. Care 2006; 22: 689–99. - PubMed
    1. Kluger M. Fever revisited. Pediatrics 1992; 90: 846–50. - PubMed
    1. Sullivan JE, Farrar HC. The section on clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, committee on drugs. Fever and antipyretic use in children. Pediatrics 2011; 127: 580–7. - PubMed
    1. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence . Fever in Under 5s: Assessment and Initial Management. (NICE Guideline 143). London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2019. - PubMed
    1. Rosenbloom E. Do antipyretics prevent the recurrence of febrile seizures in children? A systematic review of randomized controlled trials and meta‐analysis. Eur. J. Paediatr. Neurol. 2013; 17: 585–8. - PubMed