Fever management audit: Australian nurses' antipyretic usage

摘要

Do nurses manage fevers of children hospitalised for a febrile illness ritualistically or rationally? Nurses recorded temperatures more frequently during the first 8 hours in the ward with a mean frequency of 13.36 (SD 4.76, range 5 to 24) during the first 24 hours following admission. In the majority of cases there was a strong 2nd hourly pattern of temperature monitoring according to the time of day (eg., 0600hrs, 0800hrs, 1000hrs). Seventy-six percent of children (51) received at least one antipyretic. The mean temperature when antipyretics were administered was 38.34°C (SD 1.02, range 35.9°C to 40.8°C). Highest antipyretic administration occurred during the daytime and highest temperature recording during the nighttime. Antipyretic administration and mean temperatures generally followed a similar pattern, excepting at 0800 and 1600 hours when antipyretic administration was high and mean temperatures low. Nurses’ knowledge, attitudes and decision-making criteria toward fever management need investigating to explain these irregularities.