Ability of Mothers to Subjectively Assess the Presence of Fever in Their Children

Banco, Leonard; Veltri, Daniel

doi:10.1001/archpedi.1984.02140480078024

Cited by 35 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…[8][9][10][11] Banco et al reported that detection of fever by mothers without using a thermometer had a sensitivity of 73.9% and a specificity of 85.6%. 12 As many as 90% of children aged ≤ 2 years with temperature ≥ 38.9˚C were diagnosed as having fever, and 52.3% of children who complained of suffering from a fever were actually proven to have fever when the temperature measurement was taken with thermometer. A previous study found that 82% of 264 caregivers of children taken to the ER were very worried by the presence of fever, with one-third of the caregivers deciding that the child needed to be treated even if the measured temperature was less than 37.9˚C.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of axillary and tympanic membrane to rectal temperatures in children

Paramita

Karyanti

Soedjatmiko

et al. 2017

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(AUC 0.903 and 0.903, respectively). Conclusion Axillary temperature measurement is as good as tympanic membrane temperature measurement and can be used in daily clinical practice or at home. By increasing the optimum fever cut-off point for axillary and tympanic membrane temperature to 37.8oC, we find sensitivity 81% and 88%, specificity 86% and 73%, PPV 95% and 91%, and NPV 95% and 91%, respectively.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of axillary and tympanic membrane to rectal temperatures in children

Paramita

Karyanti

Soedjatmiko

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In these previous studies, parents demonstrated sensitivities of 74-90% and specificities of 73-98%. [32][33][34][35][36] In our study, sensitivities and specificities for fever detection were slightly lower. However, this difference from previous studies may be explained by the greater interaction between parent and child when compared with our study observers and subjects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Evaluation of the Physician's Ability to Recognize the Presence or Absence of Anemia, Fever, and Jaundice

Hung

Kwon

Cole

et al. 2000

Academic Emergency Medicine

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Abstract. Objective: The evaluation of the patient through a comprehensive history and physical examination is considered the cornerstone of medical diagnosis, but many studies suggest that physicians have inadequate physical examination skills. It is unknown whether these skills are reliable and whether they can be adequately acquired through training. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of the clinician to detect the presence and discriminate the extent of clinical anemia, fever, and jaundice in an ED or hospitalized patient. Methods: This was a prospective observational study of a convenience sample of patients presenting to the ED or admitted to the hospital who had a rectal temperature measurement within 30 minutes prior to the observation, serum hematocrit measurement on the day of observation, or serum bilirubin measurement one day prior to the day of observation. Observers' (emergency medicine attending physicians', resident physicians', and rotating medical students') estimated serum hematocrit, rectal temperature, and serum bilirubin values were obtained after each observation. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and mean absolute difference between actual and estimated values were calculated for each observer. Results: The physicians detected the presence or absence of anemia, fever, and jaundice in patients with sensitivities and specificities of approximately 70%. Their predictions varied from the measured value on average by 6.0 Ϯ 4.6% for serum hematocrit, 1.3 ϩ 1.1ЊF for rectal temperature, and 3.4 Ϯ 5.3 mg/dL for serum bilirubin. Observer accuracy decreased when evaluating patients with high and low measured values. Conclusions: The ability to correctly perform and interpret the physical examination appears to be independent of the observer level of training, patient ethnicity, or patient gender. The examination for pallor, warmth, and jaundice is unreliable in predicting the corresponding laboratory or electronic measurement. Certain anemic, febrile, or jaundiced patients may not be reliably detected solely by a focused physical examination.

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“…Recognition of fever by parents is arguably more subjective than recognition of diarrhea, 31,32 and as a result, the mechanisms through which the observed gender differences manifest for these two symptoms may be quite different. We were unable to explore gender differences in exposure to diarrhea-causing agents, and it may very well be that girls have lower rates of actual diarrhea.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child Gender and Parental Reporting of Illness Symptoms in Sub-Saharan Africa

Rockers

McConnell

2017

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Abstract. The overwhelming majority of evidence about the health of children in low-and middle-income countries is based on reports by parents. There is limited evidence on whether these reports suffer from systematic bias, particularly related to the gender of the child. We investigate differences in symptom reporting by child gender in a sample of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Data from 35 Demographic and Health Surveys and 10 Malaria Indicator Surveys conducted since 2005 were analyzed. Parental reports of child symptoms were compared for girls and boys. In a subsample of data from Nigeria, we also compared the accuracy of parental reports of fever between girls and boys. Then, potential explanations for observed reporting differences were explored. Finally, country-level relationships between gender differences in symptom reporting and differences in child health outcomes were estimated. Parents reported fewer episodes of fever and diarrhea for girls as compared with boys. Less frequent symptom reporting for girls does not appear to be due to reduced exposure to illness-causing agents nor increased treatment seeking. Lower fever reporting for girls relative to boys is associated with higher relative infant mortality for girls at the country level, consistent with a potential link between underreporting and health outcomes. From a measurement perspective, estimates of gender imbalances in child morbidity and treatment based on parental reports may be inaccurate. From a public health perspective, parental underreporting of symptoms in girls may indicate untreated illness that goes unnoticed.

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Ability of Mothers to Subjectively Assess the Presence of Fever in Their Children

Cited by 35 publications

References 4 publications

A comparison of axillary and tympanic membrane to rectal temperatures in children

A comparison of axillary and tympanic membrane to rectal temperatures in children

Evaluation of the Physician's Ability to Recognize the Presence or Absence of Anemia, Fever, and Jaundice

Child Gender and Parental Reporting of Illness Symptoms in Sub-Saharan Africa

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