Fever phobia - where are we now

Fever is a common complaint in the Emergency Department. Despite being frequently benign, it's still a cause for anxiety for caregivers. This study aimed to characterize parents' knowledge and attitudes towards fever. A cross sectional and descriptive survey was conducted by applying a questionnaire to pediatric patients' caregivers that attended consultation from April to August 2021. It included questions regarding sociodemographic data, knowledge and myths about fever and interventions used to treat it. Descriptive analysis was performed. A total of 1014 questionnaires were considered valid. The thermometer was used by 97.7% caregivers to measure fever, with armpit being the preferred location (80.9%). Around 87% wrongly defined fever. About 11.8% didn't offer antipyretics before seeking health care, mostly because of fear of masking the disease (47.7%). Approximately 91% undressed the child in thermal ascent and 49% used sponging with cold water to decrease temperature. Caregivers sought help mainly in primary care (66.2%). The physician was the preferred source of information (75.8%). Seizures (83.4%) were named as the main complication, 10.3% thought death was a possible effect. Around 78% answered dental eruption was a cause of fever, 54.8% considered it to be harmful for children's health, 67% believed temperature will go up indefinitely if not treated and 85.2% answered that temperature should always reach normal values after taking antipyretics. Fever phobia is still a reality, with wrong beliefs and misconceptions about its consequences and treatment. It's important to inform parents about this subject to improve the management of fever and reduce caregivers' anxiety. KEYWORDS Fever, Phobia, Antipyretic.