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

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Child; fathers; fever; grounded theory; mothers.