Paediatric fever management: Continuing education for clinical nurses
Section snippets
Background
For more than two decades there has been strong evidence-based support for the beneficial effects of mild fever (e.g., Kluger, 1986, Kluger, 1992, Lorin, 1999, Sarrell et al., 2002). Despite this, reports of nurses’ fever phobia, negative beliefs toward fever and fears of febrile seizures remain unchanged (May and Bauchner, 1992, Poirier et al., 2000, Sarrell et al., 2002). Nurses continue to reduce low grade fever without other symptoms, wake sleeping febrile children for antipyretics and
Research design
A cross-sectional design utilising a self-report, self-administered survey was employed.
Sample
All nurses (100%) in a targeted convenience sample of 51 Level 1 and Level 2 registered nurses (nurses) employed to work in the two medical wards of a metropolitan, paediatric hospital in Australia participated. As expected, the majority were female (84%), employed full time (73%) at Level 1 (84%). The highest academic qualification of more than half was a diploma/degree (59%); one-quarter (28%) had
Results
The two areas examined, knowledge and beliefs, will be discussed separately. Table 1 provides a detailed description of the nurses’ knowledge by the independent variables.
Discussion
Fever management is an integral aspect of paediatric nursing practice. Findings strongly suggest the paediatric nurses studied were not expert fever managers. Although those practicing at a higher level and with between one and four year’s paediatric or current experience had more accurate knowledge than their co-workers, they were not experts, their knowledge was mediocre. Discovering that knowledge did not influence these nurses’ beliefs is important for clinical practice as many educational
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