Fever management and related factors among parents of children aged 3 months to 6 years attending Çukurova University Education Family Health Center

Aim: This thesis aims to explain the factors affecting fever management, which constitutes a significant portion of primary care visits by evaluating the sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge of febrile convulsions, and cyberchondria status of parents attending the Education Family Health Center. Materials and Methods: It is a cross-sectional, descriptive study. The sample size was calculated as 247 using the Epi Info software. The study included 265 parents. A sociodemographic questionnaire, the Parent Fever Management Scale (PFMS-TR), the Febrile Convulsion Knowledge Scale for Parents/Caregivers, and the short form of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12) were used. SPSS 22.0 was used for the analyses. A p-value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 265 parents were included in the study. 57.4% of participants were female. The rate of emergency room visits was lower among those who took their child to the EASM when they had a fever (p<0.001). It was shown that 37.2% of parents who did not take their child to the EASM consulted a pediatrician, while 31.7% of parents who took their child to the EASM also chose the pediatrician option (p=0.401). The mean total score on the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12) was 28.73; the mean score on the Febrile Seizure Scale was 24.4; and the mean score on the Parent Fever Management Scale- TR was 31.1. A positive correlation (r=0.148; p<0.05) was found between CSS-12 and PFMS-TR scores; a negative correlation (r=-0.278; p<0.01) was found between CSS-12 and FSS scores. A negative significant relationship was found between the PFMS-TR and the FSS (r=-0.264; p<0.01). The Linear Regression Model explained approximately 10% of the variance (p<0.001). A one-unit decrease in FSS reduced PFMS-TR by 0.229 units, and a good income status reduced PFMS-TR by 1.649 units (p<0.001). Cyberchondria level was not effective in fever management (p>0.05). Conclusion: Knowledge of febrile convulsions and income status are important factors in establishing good parental fire management; no effect of cyberchondria has been detected.