IMPROVING CAREGIVER EDUCATION FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE FEBRILE PEDIATRIC PATIENT

IMPROVING CAREGIVER EDUCATION FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE FEBRILE PEDIATRIC PATIENT An Abstract of the Scholarly Project by Scarlett Tomasi, RN Fever is the most common reason for children under the age of 15 to be brought to the emergency department by their parents or caregiver (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services et al., 2018). Fever is often diagnosed as benign and can be treated symptomatically in the home with proper education. The purpose of this project was to provide education to caregivers of the pediatric population focusing on fever management. This study was implemented via social media and Qualtrics utilizing a baseline questionnaire, pretest, and an educational offering regarding fever management and perceptions surrounding fever. A posttest was given after the educational offering to measure the participants knowledge proficiency. The final sample size after exclusions was 58 caregivers of children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years of age. The data was analyzed with SPSS and a paired sample t-test. The study was found to be statistically significant with an average improvement of knowledge of 16.207% as evidenced by the improved posttest scores. Results of the data have the potential to impact and influence future programs in the healthcare community, as well as influence local healthcare providers to improve bedside fever management education during routine and acute healthcare visits.