Fever
Conditions
Keywords
Feverish illness in children
Brief summary
This study primarily aims to describe factors associated with hospitalisation of children aged 3 months to 5 years presenting with fever to an urban paediatric A&E departments by describing and analysing characteristics both of those patients admitted to hospital and those managed in the community. To complement this, information on the short-term healthcare utilization by families attending the emergency department because of feverish illness will be collected. The study will be carried out in one participating centre in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, respectively, to enable a head to head comparison of the assessment and admission practices in two European countries. The resulting data will be used as the basis for further research in this area and will provide information on how to optimally structure service provision in acute febrile childhood illness.
Detailed description
A significant number of children 0 to 5 years of age are seen in paediatric Accident & Emergency departments (A&E) with feverish illness. Most of these patients could safely be managed in a primary care setting, particularly with guidelines in place on how to optimally assess these children. Some patients, however, will require admission, either because of a potentially serious underlying disease or because of other factors, for example parental concern or difficulties in communication because of language barriers. An increase in the number of children attending A&E departments with feverish illness as well as a rise in the volume of admissions has been noted over time. To enable an appropriate adaptation of acute medical services for children an in depth understanding of the assessment and admission processes is crucial.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
3 Months to 5 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Child aged 3months to 5years * Temperature above or equal to 38°C measured by any method or reported hot by parents
Exclusion criteria
* none
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Participants With Admission to Hospital Due to Parental High Levels of Worry | 7-10 days | Interview with the patient family to evaluation of the reasons for admission to emergency department |
Countries
Switzerland, United Kingdom
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Febrile Children, Age 3 m to 5 y 3 month to 5 years old children with febrile illness | 108 |
| Total | 108 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Febrile Children, Age 3 m to 5 y | — |
|---|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 108 Participants | — |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 0 Participants | — |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 0 Participants | — |
| Race and Ethnicity Not Collected | — | — Participants |
| Region of Enrollment United Kingdom | 108 participants | — |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 54 Participants | — |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 54 Participants | — |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk |
|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 108 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 108 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 108 |
Outcome results
Primary
Number of Participants With Admission to Hospital Due to Parental High Levels of Worry
Interview with the patient family to evaluation of the reasons for admission to emergency department
Time frame: 7-10 days
| Arm | Measure | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|
| Febrile Children, Age 3 m to 5 y | Number of Participants With Admission to Hospital Due to Parental High Levels of Worry | 87 Participants |