Causes, Fever In Children Under 5Years Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Mothers And Health Team Towards The Management of Acutely Febrile Children
Causes, Fever In Children Under 5Years Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Mothers And Health Team Towards The Management of Acutely Febrile Children
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Date
2004
Authors
Maha Mohammed Omer Elbushra
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Publisher
University of Khartoum
Abstract
This is a cross sectional hospital based study conducted during the
period of July, August and September 2003 including pediatric casualties
and units of KECH, KTH, KNTH, Omdurman TH and Ahmed Gasim
PTH.
The study included 268 acutely febrile children under 5 years,
292mothers, 75 doctors , 123 nurses. The main objectives were
determining causes of fever in children and assessing knowledge, attitude
and practices of mothers, doctors and nurses towards management of
febrile child.
The most common causes of fever in the study group were
respiratory tract infections (61.5%) and malaria in (15.7%). Less
common were diarrhoeal diseases (07.1%), otitis media (03.7%), urinary
tract infections (02.2%), measles (03.7%), urinary tract infections
(02.2%) , measles (02.6%) and (07.1%) were other causes such as
osteomyelitis, meningitis and viral infections.
Mothers show poor knowledge about fever. Few mothers (1%)
believe that fever is beneficial. Only (15%) can define it in terms of
degrees. They treat it aggressively, worry about it and utilize harmful
practices. It is found that cold sponging is used by two thirds of them
(66.1%), one third use sponging as the first line of treatment, (12.4%)
still use aspirin as antipyretic and high proportion used to practice self
treatment of fever by drugs.
There was significant correlation of mother’s knowledge attitudes
and practices with educational level. Highly educated mothers have
better knowledge, attitude and practices than low educated mothers.
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Few mothers (3.1%) use traditional methods to treat fever at home.
The common traditional means were covering the febrile child’s skin
surface with sesame oil for which other herbal materials can be added like
garad or kammon. Other means lubkha, duckan, cauterization, scarring
and uvula removal.
There was significant difference in knowledge and attitude between
house officers medical officers. and registrars. The later have better
knowledge than house officers and medical officers. About fifty four
percent of doctors in the study were house officers , (22.7%) were
medical officers and registrars were also (22.7%). Most of them 70.7%
know the cut-off level of fever, but high proportion (60%) don’t know
the pathophysiology of fever and treat fever to prevent convulsions. Only
a small percentage (22.7%) is familiar with different antipyretic forms,
concentrations and doses. (34%) of the doctors did not have teaching
about fever in there under graduate teaching
Nurses included in the study have great deficiency in knowledge
about thermometers and only one fourth (24.6%) of them measure
temperature correctly.
In the study area which includes 46 facilities, there is one
thermometer per one facility in 18facilities (39.1%) and only 10.8% had
temperature chart.
Description
A thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Degree of Clinical MD of Paediatrics and Child health.
Keywords
Fever
Children
respiratory tract infections
malaria
diarrhoeal
University of Khartoum
Paediatrics
Child Health
Citation
Maha Mohammed Omer Elbushra, Causes,Fever In Children Under 5Years Knowledge,Attitude and Practices of Mothers And Health Team Towards The Management of Acutely Febrile Childr .- Khartoum : University of Khartoum, 2004 .- 110p. : illus., 28cm., M.Sc.