The study explores caregivers' attitudes towards fever in children, comparing those in outpatient and inpatient settings at a children's hospital in China. It found widespread 'fever phobia,' with many caregivers believing fevers cause serious harm, despite education efforts proving largely ineffective. The study underscores the need for accurate information from healthcare providers to better manage caregiver concerns about fever.

1. Journal Club
October 2015
Dr M. Sajid Noor
Resident Pediatric medicine
NICH Karachi

2. Fever phobia:a comparision survey
between caregivers in inpatient
ward and caregivers at outpatient
dept in childrens hospital in china.
Lili dong, jiahui jin,yili lu,lili
jiang,xiaoou shan
Wenzhouh medical university

3. • Are you ready for some morning
exercise???or need a cup of tea??

4. Background
Fever in children is one of the most common
clinical symptoms and chief complaint and
main reason that caregivers took children to
OPD or hospital .
Study found that majority of parents held
unrealistic and unwarranted concerns about
fevers,first termed as FEVER PHOBIA by
schmitt in 1980.

6. Aim of study
• To explore caregivers attitude towards fever
and compare the attitude between the OPD
group and ward group.
• To highlight whether the caregivers feel
relieved and whether the education works
after admission to hospital.

7. Study Details
• Cross-sectional study
• From june 2012 to feb 2013.
• Questionnaire was distributed amongst ward
and opd.
• All caregivers amongst ward group have been
educated prior for fever related knowledge.

8. EXCLUSION CRITERIA
• Children less than 3 months old.
• Caregivers with experience of working in
healthcare instituition.
• Previous history of hospitilisation.

10. 621 caregivers
305(49%) OPD
316(51%)ward
group

12. Contd:

20. 621 caregivers
305(49%) OPD
316(51%)ward
group

21. Results
Most caregivers(OPD vs ward 75.1
vs74.4)believed fever cause brain
damage
68% give
antipyreic during
sleep. 39.9%
would give when
temp above 38c
83,9% got
education and
96.5 felt relieved.
42.7% believed
fever cause
death/deafness.
77% were
worried when
child had fever.
12.8% check
fever at 30min
Ward vs opd
42.4/46.9%) give
antipyretic at
temp below 38.5C
preferred cold
sponging.

22. CONCLUSION
• FEVER PHOBIA is widespread amongst caregivers
and vast majority believes that fever is harmfull.
• This study also showed that fever education is
not effective action to improve the caregivers
understanding and management of fever and
alleviate fever phobia.
• As doctors and nurses were considered as
primary source of information so they might help
alleviate fever phobia if correct information given
to the caregivers by them.

23. Critique
• Operational definition are not defined
• . Validity of knowledge given by doctors and
nurses could not be trusted.
• Reason for admission in ward or visit to OPD
was not told.
• ward parents were more worried due to their
child more severe disease.
• Very poor english and grammatical mistakes

25. Thank You