Assessment of Parental and Provider Need for Fever Management Education in the Primary Care Setting

Abstract

Background: Fever in children is very common and provokes anxiety in parents, leading to overutilization of emergency departments for non-urgent illness. Research has revealed that increased healthcare seeking behavior in parents of febrile children is related to low health literacy. Educating parents about pediatric fever and fever management in the primary care setting, before an episode of illness, has shown to improve health outcomes for children and decrease healthcare seeking behavior of parents. Purpose: The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) DNP project was to evaluate stakeholders in a local primary care clinic, to assess their level of literacy related to fever management as well as asses their preferences for receiving health information, so that an educational intervention could be created that was context specific and culturally appropriate. Methods: Data was collected from primary care providers and parents using survey questionnaires. Surveys were administered in the clinic to parents of children between the ages of 3-months and 9-years, while a separate survey was sent to providers in the clinic via email. Due to small sample sizes, an Excel spreadsheet was used to analyze data. Conclusion: Data collected from parents confirmed that there is a knowledge gap between what parents in this population know about fever and fever management and what current evidence recommends. Data revealed that a one-on-one educational intervention is the formatting preference of both parents and providers.