EVALUATION OF FEVER MANAGEMENT AND RATIONAL DRUG USE IN MOTHERS OF CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the parental practices towards fever management and rational drug use in mothers with children under the age of five. Materials and Method: This research was planned as a cross-sectional analytical study. The study was conducted on 342 mothers with ch...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Istanbul University Press
2022-07-01
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| Series: | İstanbul Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/A4614FEA547F4705A3A8C6D75AD51AE1 |
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| Summary: | Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the parental practices towards fever management and rational drug use in mothers with children under the age of five. Materials and Method: This research was planned as a cross-sectional analytical study. The study was conducted on 342 mothers with children under five years of age who applied to family health centers (FHCs). The Parental Fever Management Scale (PFMS-TR) and Rational Drug Use Scale (RDUS) were applied to the participants. Results: The average age of the mothers was 30.8±5.7 years, and 50.6% (n=173) had high school education or above. Of the participants, 89.5% (n=306) stated that they had a thermometer at home and 49.7% (n=170) first sensed that their children had a fever by touching them, while 38% (n=130) understood by their appearance, and 38.3% (n=126) applied to FHCs first for treatment. There was a significant correlation between the mothers’ PFMS scores and age, married, planned pregnancy, educational status and place of residence (p<0.05). There was a significant relationship between the RDUS scores age at marriage, age at first birth, employment status, kinship status with spouse, presence of caregivers, educational status, place of residence, family type, and economic situation (p<0.05). Conclusion: Although almost all of the mothers had a thermometer at home, it was noteworthy that only one-tenth detected the fever using a thermometer. It was observed that mothers who have a high school education or above, are employees, marry at an advanced age, and give birth after the age of 22, use the drugs more rationally. As a family physician is mostly the first person to whom parents apply, informing the parents of a febrile child about how they should approach the situation will both relax the family and reduce unnecessary applications to health institutions. |
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| ISSN: | 1305-6441 |