Behavior of Parents Seeking Care From Emergency Services Due to Fever in Children

Purpose To explore the behavior of parents, with and without health training, seeking care from emergency services due to their child’s fever. Design and Setting A qualitative study based on Grounded Theory using a triangulated sample (theoretical sampling and snowball sampling) of parents of children 0 to 12 years old who received care for fever in the emergency primary care services of two Spanish municipalities. Methods Data saturation was achieved after eight focus groups segmented by gender, place of residence, and education (57 participants). Data analysis followed the constant comparative method and coding process. Findings The parents attended the emergency department when fever was high or persistent and to determine the cause. The reasons for avoiding the emergency department differed; whereas the health professional parents avoided consulting other colleagues as they felt questioned, for parents who were not healthcare professionals, there was a fear of acquiring an infection. Conclusions Parents’ search for healthcare differs according to their background and education. Clinical Relevance These results provide key information for the design of care plans to improve health care and patient satisfaction.