Far from child's play with fevers, parents at a loss

Parents and doctors agree: When it comes to a child’s fever, most parents don’t know what to do.

According to two new surveys of parents and pediatricians from Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, more than half of all parents report feeling anxious, fearful or helpless when their child comes down with a fever. In addition, many parents are not managing the fever correctly.

“The pediatricians surveyed consistently hear three questions about fever medications: Which type is best for my child? At what temperature reading should I give medicine? And how do I correctly dose?” said Freda Lewis-Hall, EVP and chief medical officer for Pfizer. “Parents play a dual role when their children are sick. They need to comfort a sick child while being prepared to make informed health choices.”

The “Dose of Reality” survey exposed several areas where parents may be making unintended mistakes in treating their child’s fever. For example, more than half of parents surveyed (54%) wake their child up in the middle of the night just to give them fever medication. However, most pediatricians believe a sleeping child should not be disturbed only to administer fever medication.

And nearly 1-in-4 parents admitted to giving their children an adult over-the-counter fever medication at an estimated lower dose, rather than giving them a medication made for children. This is something that one-third of pediatricians actually reported hearing from patients.

Also, while the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents keep their children home from school or daycare until they are fever-free for at least 24 hours, 52% of parents admit to sending their children back to school or daycare less than 24 hours after their fever passed. The majority of pediatricians (72%) acknowledge hearing that parents send their children back to school or daycare within that 24-hour period.