Web-Based Tools for Educating Caregivers About Childhood Fever: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Health Informatics
• Patient Education

Background:

• Fever is a frequent reason for pediatric emergency department visits.
• Caregiver misconceptions about fever management are common.
• Effective educational strategies are needed to improve caregiver knowledge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of web-based interventions for educating caregivers about childhood fever.
• To compare an interactive web-based module (WBM) and a read-only website (ROW) against standard of care (SOC).

Main Methods:

• Caregivers were randomized to WBM, ROW, or SOC groups in the emergency department.
• Knowledge was assessed using a novel questionnaire on fever measurement and management.
• Caregiver satisfaction with the educational interventions was a secondary outcome.

Main Results:

• Web-based interventions (WBM and ROW) significantly improved caregiver knowledge scores.
• WBM and ROW showed mean knowledge gains of 3.5 points, while SOC had a nonsignificant gain of 0.1.
• Caregiver satisfaction was highest for WBM (22.6), followed by ROW (20.7), and SOC (17), with all groups differing significantly.

Conclusions:

• Web-based interventions effectively enhance caregiver knowledge about childhood fever.
• High caregiver satisfaction was observed with both WBM and ROW educational approaches.
• Digital health education tools show potential for improving patient-centered outcomes in pediatric fever management.