UPDATE
|
UPDATE |
| Number 2 | October 1996 |
TALKING FEVER
by: Jane Bernzweig, PhD, (Febrile Infant Study Investigator)
John Takayama, MD, (Febrile Infant Study Investigator)The Parental Perspective
What do parents do when they encounter fever in their children? As a supplement to the Febrile Infant Study, we have started to explore parental understanding and management of fever in their infants. Telephone follow-up interviews of the parents of infants enrolled in the study at the University of California, San Francisco are being conducted. Because what parents believe about fever may have an impact on what they do for their febrile infants and whether they utilize health services, we are specifically interested in the influence of cultural upbringing, sources of information and resources for parents, and the role of health care providers. We are also interested in what the parents perceive to be the most difficult aspects of the febrile episode as well as anything they recall as particularly helpful to them.
Preliminary results indicate that parents vary in what they define as fever, how they react to a high temperature, what they provide their infants and when they contact their health care providers. There is a great deal of variability in parental detection of fever, with some parents reporting that being "warm to the touch" or fussy were signs that their child had a fever. Other parents did not know their baby was ill until they came for a well child visit, during which the fever was discovered. Some parents took the baby's temperature at home, while others waited until they arrived at the emergency room or urgent care setting. Parents report that the continuity of care and communication with providers is very reassuring to them. Among hospitalized patients, parents attend closely to the providers every word hoping for signs of reassurance and believing that any negative message is a sign of a serious problem. Parents express most concern about the pain their infants might have experienced during chest x-rays, lumbar punctures or catheterization. One parent referred to the chest x-ray as a "torture chamber". Although most parents report that they feel that their child is healthy now, some parents felt that the trauma of the tests the infant had to undergo at such an early age could have a lasting effect on the baby "psychologically." Most parents report being satisfied with the care they received and feel that their child's fever had been appropriately managed.
Since this substudy is ongoing, further information regarding parental understanding and management of fever in their infants will be provided in future issues of the FIS newsletter.
Patient Enrollment Update (Total
Same Size at End of Each Quarter)
With an average of 25 enrolled cases per week network-wide, we remain optimistic about data collection. However, the success of the study depends on your continued participation. Please continue to enroll all eligible febrile infants. If you have not begun the study, now is the time to start. Please call the PROS Research Assistant (800/433-9016 x7620) with any questions about the study.
QUESTIONS?
Please call PROS Central or UCSF with any questions you may have!
800/433-9016 X7620
800/468-7803
| Core support for the PROS network is provided by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau |  |
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