The assessment of parents’ knowledge, attitudes and concerns about febrile seizures in children at tertiary hospitals in Rwanda—a descriptive study

Abstract Background Febrile seizures (FSs) are the most common seizure disorder in childhood. No previous research has been performed to assess caregiver attitudes, knowledge and concerns of FSs in Rwanda or East Africa. Objectives This study sought to assess knowledge, attitudes and concerns regarding FS among caregivers of children presenting to tertiary hospitals in Rwanda using a previously validated questionnaire. The secondary objective was to assess the reliability of a translated version of the Huang Febrile Seizures Questionnaire (HFSQ). Methods A multi-centre observational study was conducted at four tertiary teaching hospitals in Rwanda. The admitting doctor determined that children met the definition of FSs. A translated version, of a validated questionnaire, the HFSQ, employing yes/no and five-point Likert questions, was used for this study, after minor adjustments. Results Eighty-six caregivers were recruited. Caregivers had low levels of pre-existing knowledge regarding FSs. The most significant caregiver concern was that ‘siblings will have FSs too’(mean = 3.62 ± 0.7). Caregivers felt that children with FSs do not need more attention and care and that FSs can be outgrown (mean = 3.4 ± 1.0). Discussion The findings support the need for locally relevant educational materials to be shared with caregivers after a FS event. The HFSQ is a good quality tool for assessing parental knowledge and concerns and has the potential to be used in clinical practice as a benchmarking tool for education.