https://doi.org/10.4081/ecj.2024.12903
Management of fever and associated symptoms in children and adults: an Italian national survey
Submitted: 6 August 2024
Accepted: 12 October 2024
Published: 8 November 2024
Accepted: 12 October 2024
Abstract Views: 2002
PDF: 200
Supplementary Materials: 8
Supplementary Materials: 8
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
An advisory committee of Italian experts conducted a national, cross-sectional, web-based survey in June 2024 to describe the current management of fever and associated symptoms in different settings, including primary care, emergency departments, and hospital wards in pediatric and adult patients. The survey covered two domains: participants’ features and questions about the main drugs prescribed to treat fever and associated symptoms. A total of 832 questionnaires were analyzed. Paracetamol was the most prescribed drug to treat fever. Most participants were influenced by related symptoms when choosing the most appropriate drug. Almost all participants selected the oral route as their preferred one. This survey provides a current state of fever management among physicians in different settings throughout Italy. It highlights a trend in treating fever with antipyretics at appropriate doses and evaluating pain through validated scales.
Doria M, Careddu D, Iorio R, et al. Paracetamol and Ibuprofen in the Treatment of Fever and Acute Mild-Moderate Pain in Children: Italian Experts' Consensus Statements. Children (Basel) 2021;8:873.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/children8100873
Mackowiak PA. Fever: blessing or curse? A unifying hypothesis. Ann Intern Med 1994;120:1037-40.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-120-12-199406150-00010
Bakalli I, Klironomi D, Kola E, Celaj E. The management of fever in children. Minerva Pediatr (Torino) 2022;74:568-78.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.23736/S2724-5276.22.06680-0
Chiappini E, Parretti A, Becherucci P, et al. Parental and medical knowledge and management of fever in Italian pre-school children. BMC Pediatr 2012;12:97.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2431-12-97
Ames NJ, Powers JH, Ranucci A, et al. A systematic approach for studying the signs and symptoms of fever in adult patients: the fever assessment tool (FAST). Health Qual Life Outcomes 2017;15:84.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-017-0644-6
Di Sarno L, Gatto A, Korn D, et al. Pain management in pediatric age. An update. Acta Biomed 2023;94:e2023174.
Sarno LD, Cammisa I, Curatola A, et al. A scoping review of the management of acute mastoiditis in children: What is the best approach? Turk J Pediatr 2023;65:906-18.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24953/turkjped.2023.320
Raffaeli G, Orenti A, Gambino M, et al. Fever and Pain Management in Childhood: Healthcare Providers' and Parents' Adherence to Current Recommendations. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2016;13:499.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13050499
Balli S, Shumway KR, Sharan S. Physiology, Fever. StatPearls Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024.
Outzen M. Management of fever in older adults. J Gerontol Nurs 2009;35:17-23.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3928/00989134-20090331-02
Obermeyer Z, Samra JK, Mullainathan S. Individual differences in normal body temperature: longitudinal big data analysis of patient records. BMJ 2017;359:j5468.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j5468
Chiappini E, Venturini E, Remaschi G, et al. Italian Pediatric Society Panel for the Management of Fever in Children. 2016 Update of the Italian Pediatric Society Guidelines for Management of Fever in Children. J Pediatr 2017;180:177-83.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.09.043
Silvagni D, Castagno E, Cardinale F, et al. Management of fever in infants and children in the emergency setting and during home discharge: recommendations from an Italian panel. Minerva Pediatr (Torino) 2022;74:195-201.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.23736/S2724-5276.22.06666-6
David A, Quinlan JD. Fever of Unknown Origin in Adults. Am Fam Physician 2022;105:137-43.
Gatto A, Mantani L, Gola C, et al. Presepsin Levels in Pediatric Patients with Fever and Suspected Sepsis: A Pilot Study in an Emergency Department. Children (Basel) 2024;11:594.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/children11050594
Dong L, Jin J, Lu Y, et al. Fever phobia: a comparison survey between caregivers in the inpatient ward and caregivers at the outpatient department in a children's hospital in China. BMC Pediatr 2015;15:163.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-015-0475-8
Di Sarno L, Curatola A, Conti G, et al. The effects of COVID-19 outbreak on pediatric emergency department admissions for acute wheezing. Pediatr Pulmonol 2022;57:1167-72.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.25858
Ojetti V, Covino M, Brigida M, et al. Non-COVID diseases during the pandemic: where have all other emergencies gone? Medicina (Kaunas) 2020;56:512.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina56100512
Bertille N, Fournier-Charrière E, Pons G, et al. Enduring large use of acetaminophen suppositories for fever management in children: a national survey of French parents and healthcare professionals' practices. Eur J Pediatr 2016;175:987-92.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-016-2732-8
Holgersson J, Ceric A, Sethi N, et al. Fever therapy in febrile adults: systematic review with meta-analyses and trial sequential analyses. BMJ 2022;378:e069620.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2021-069620
Narayan K, Cooper S, Morphet J, Innes K. Effectiveness of paracetamol versus ibuprofen administration in febrile children: A systematic literature review. J Paediatr Child Health 2017;53:800-7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.13507
Trippella G, Ciarcià M, de Martino M, Chiappini E. Prescribing controversies: an updated review and meta-analysis on combined/alternating use of ibuprofen and paracetamol in febrile children. Front Pediatr 2019;7:217.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2019.00217
Ovtcharenko N, Oczkowski S. In hospitalized adults with fever, fever therapy does not reduce mortality or serious adverse events. Ann Intern Med 2022;175:JC127.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/J22-0081
McCarthy K, Avent M. Oral or intravenous antibiotics? Aust Prescr 2020;43:45-48.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18773/austprescr.2020.008
Milani GP, Benini F, Dell'Era L, et al. Acute pain management: acetaminophen and ibuprofen are often under-dosed. Eur J Pediatr 2017;176:979-82.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-017-2944-6
Franceschi F, Saviano A, Carnicelli A, et al. Treatment of fever and associated symptoms in the emergency department: which drug to choose? Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2023;27:7362-9.
Tan E, Braithwaite I, McKinlay CJD, Dalziel SR. Comparison of Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) With Ibuprofen for Treatment of Fever or Pain in Children Younger Than 2 Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open 2020;3:e2022398.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.22398
Hay AD, Costelloe C, Redmond NM, et al. Paracetamol plus ibuprofen for the treatment of fever in children (PITCH): randomised controlled trial. BMJ 2008;337:a1302.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.a1302
Marseglia GL, Alessio M, Da Dalt L, et al. Acute pain management in children: a survey of Italian pediatricians. Ital J Pediatr 2019;45:156.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-019-0754-3
How to Cite
Chiaretti, A., Grattagliano, I., Carlomagno, F., Magi, M., Carbone, L., Zecca, S., Bondone, C., Gatto, A., Di Sarno, L., & Franceschi, F. (2024). Management of fever and associated symptoms in children and adults: an Italian national survey. Emergency Care Journal, 20(4). https://doi.org/10.4081/ecj.2024.12903
Copyright (c) 2024 the Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
