title: Knowledge and management of fever among Moroccan parents.
abstract: Parents often have misperceptions about childhood fever, and little information is available about the home management of feverish children in Morocco. In this study of the perceptions, knowledge and practices of families regarding children's fever, the parents of 264 febrile children aged 0-16 years were interviewed in a paediatric emergency department in Rabat in 2011. Only 3.5% of parents knew the correct temperature definition for fever, 54.4% determined their children's fever using a thermometer, and the preferred site was rectal. Most of them (96.8%) considered that fever was a very serious condition, which could lead to side-effects such as brain damage (28.9%), seizures (18.8%) paralysis (19.5%), dyspnoea (14.8%) and coma (14.8%). Paracetamol was used by 85.9% and traditional treatments by 45.1%. Knowledge about the correct definition of fever was significantly associated with parents' profession, educational level and receipt of previous information and advice from health professionals.
authors: Emergency Medical Department, Children's Hospital, University Hospital Rabat-Salé, Rabat, Morocco.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Rkain
authors: Laboratory of Biostatistics, Clinical Research and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University Mohammed Vth Souissi, Rabat, Morocco.
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Rkain
authors: Emergency Medical Department, Children's Hospital, University Hospital Rabat-Salé, Rabat, Morocco.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Safi
authors: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Children's Hospital, University Hospital Rabat-Salé, Rabat, Morocco.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Kabiri
authors: Laboratory of Biostatistics, Clinical Research and Epidemiology; Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics Research Team, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University Mohammed Vth Souissi, Rabat, Morocco.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Ahid
authors: Emergency Medical Department, Children's Hospital, University Hospital Rabat-Salé, Rabat, Morocco.
authors: B D S
authors: BD
authors: Benjelloun
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000628:therapy*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009018:Morocco; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*