Analysis of Nurses’ and Physicians’ Attitudes, Knowledge, and Perceptions toward Fever in Children: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Context: Fever is a common symptom in children that nurses and pediatricians treat. Although it is a common sign in clinical practice, fever instills irrational fears in parents that health professionals share. Objective: To investigate whether doctors’ and nurses’ knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes toward fever influence how this sign is managed. Furthermore, it intends to evaluate whether educational programs increase knowledge and change attitudes and/or perceptions of nurses about children’s fever. Data Sources: A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted with PRISMA international standards and the Cochrane recommendations. Study selection: Articles examining health professionals’ (doctors and/or nurses) knowledge, perceptions, and/or attitudes toward fever in children and the use of antipyretics were selected for the study. Data extraction: The qualitative analysis was carried out by classifying the articles according to the applied educational programs for nurses related to fever care for children that evaluated different outcomes to determine their efficacies. Results: For the qualitative synthesis, 41 articles were included, and 5 of these were taken in meta-analysis, which measured the effectiveness of educational programs for fever management in nurses. Limitations: All of the included studies generally had a high risk of bias. Conclusion: According to the evidence reviewed, nurses’ and physicians’ perceptions and attitudes regarding fever management in children indicate an overtreatment of this sign. We can give a recommendation grade of D on the use of educational programs to modify attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge about fever in children and improve clinical practice in nurses.