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Published on: September 19, 2019
Fading confidence: A qualitative exploration of parents' experiences caring for a febrile child
Alison P Thompson1, Anne Le1, Lisa Hartling2
1Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Insights
Parents often feel anxious about pediatric fever, but possess strengths in managing symptoms. Developing empowering resources can help parents make informed decisions and maintain control when caring for a febrile child.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare research
- Parental experiences in child health
- Qualitative health research
Background:
- Pediatric fever is common in childhood, yet frequently causes parental anxiety.
- Existing research often focuses on parental deficits, necessitating a deeper understanding of caregiving complexities.
- Parents' emotional responses and information needs during childhood fever episodes require further exploration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore parents' lived experiences with pediatric fever.
- To identify parents' specific needs for information and support.
- To understand parental confidence and challenges in managing febrile children.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative descriptive study utilizing purposive sampling.
- Conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 parents of febrile children in a pediatric emergency department.
- Employed thematic analysis to interpret interview data, adhering to COREQ guidelines.
Main Results:
- Identified themes including parental confidence, feelings of inadequacy, information needs, and sources.
- Parents initially felt confident but experienced emotional shifts with new symptoms.
- Parents actively seek reliable and accessible information regarding pediatric fever management.
Conclusions:
- Parents demonstrate strengths in assessing fever and managing symptoms.
- There is a need for empowering resources to support parents in making child health decisions during fever.
- Evidence supports the development of clear, accessible information to enhance parental control and improve care.
Aims And Objectives:
To explore parents' experiences with paediatric fever to understand their needs for information and support.
Background:
Paediatric fever is a normal part of childhood, and multiple episodes of fever are a common occurrence between infancy and adulthood. Despite this expectation, paediatric fever often sparks fear and anxiety amongst parents. Existing research has primarily focused on measuring parental deficits, so a more in-depth exploration is helpful to understand the complexities of caring for a febrile child.
Design:
Qualitative descriptive study.
Methods:
Purposive sampling of N = 15 parents from a paediatric emergency department presenting with a febrile child. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in-person or via telephone. Thematic analysis was used to understand the data in the light of our research question. Reporting follows the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research checklist.
Results:
We found themes of (a) parental confidence through caregiving tasks, (b) emergent feelings of inadequacy, (i) referrals and limitations of community practice, (c) information needs and (d) information sources. Whereas parents were initially confident accessing information, providing care, making decisions and managing symptoms, new signs/symptoms sparked a change in parents' emotions, coping and behaviour. Parents routinely search for information about paediatric fever and value reliable, accessible resources.
Conclusions:
Our findings highlight parents' strengths assessing fever and effectively managing symptoms. We are encouraged by the potential for these results to inform the development of empowering resources to help parents make child health decisions during paediatric fever.
Relevance To Clinical Practice:
Findings provide an evidence base for researchers, clinicians and policymakers to improve care for paediatric patients and families. Parents want clear, reliable and accessible information about decision points associated with paediatric fever. Resources with an empowerment focus may help parents maintain a sense of control when caring for a febrile child.
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