Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Healthcare Workers Regarding the Management of Fever in Children

Background: Fever is among the most frequent presenting complaints in paediatric outpatient settings worldwide and across sub-Saharan Africa. Despite substantial evidence affirming the physiological role of fever in host defence, misconceptions about its management remain widespread among healthcare workers, contributing to irrational antipyretic use, fever phobia, and avoidable drug toxicity. To our knowledge, no prior published study has assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of healthcare workers regarding paediatric fever management in Zambia, representing a significant evidence gap. Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare workers at University Teaching Hospital – Children's Hospital (UTH-CH), Lusaka, Zambia, regarding the management of fever in children, and to identify sociodemographic and professional factors independently associated with KAP outcomes. Methods: A quantitative, institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted at UTH-CH over four consecutive weeks. A structured, self-administered questionnaire adapted from Milani et al. (2022) was used. The adaptation process included [describe steps, e.g., expert review, pilot testing with 30 participants, calculation of content validity index (CVI = X.XX) and Cronbach's alpha (α = X.XX)].0%). KAP scores were dichotomised as high (≥50% of maximum score) or low (<50%), and sub-domain scores for knowledge, attitudes, and practices were computed separately. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS (version 27 or later, specify the version actually used). This study was reported in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. Of 225 participants, 78.7% (n = 177) demonstrated low overall KAP scores. Low s