Parental Perception of Care for Infants With Fever During Hospitalization

Jessica Hayes, MD; Sarah Vepraskas, MD

WMJ. 2020;119(4):282-285.

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ABSTRACT

Objective: To assess parental perceptions regarding reason for and length of their infant’s hospitalization and to understand family preferences for time of discharge.

Methods: Participants included parents of infants who were noncomplex, well-appearing infants, aged 7 to 60 days, and evaluated for fever without a source. A 5-question structured interview was administered over a 6-month period.

Results: Parents understood that fever necessitated admission for further diagnostic evaluation and that admissions would be no more than 48 hours if bacterial cultures were negative. Over one-third of patients’ families preferred overnight discharge.

Discussion: Parents recognize reasons for admission and the rationale for length of stay. Preferences for time of discharge can serve as a starting point for shared decision-making between parents and providers.

Author Affiliations: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn (Hayes); Hospital Medicine Department, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wis (Vepraskas).
Corresponding Author: Jessica Hayes, MD, phone 262.422.5222; email jessica.hayes@vumc.org; ORCID ID 0000-0003-1779-3302.
Acknowledgements: The authors would like to acknowledge the American Academy of Pediatrics Value in Inpatient Pediatrics Network, Project REVISE, as this work was part of the national collaborative. The authors also would like to thank the parents who participated in the structured interview and additional members of the Project REVISE team: Sara Lauck, MD; Patricia Lye, MD; Sheila Swartz, MD, MPH; Jennifer Hadjiev, MD; John Cox, MD; Lauren Brockman, MD; Paula Soung, MD; Julie Kolinski, MD; Sandra Gage, MD, PhD; Nicholas Kuehnel, MD; Kim Zimmanck, MSN, RN; and Kelsey Porada, MA.
Prior Poster Presentations: American College of Physicians Wisconsin Meeting (Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin; September 2018) and Pediatric Academic Societies’ Annual Meeting (Toronto, Canada; May 2018).
Funding/Support: The Children’s Hospital and Health System and the Medical College of Wisconsin Children’s Specialty Group provided funding for a quality improvement internship that provided funded time to conduct this study.
Financial Disclosures: None disclosed.

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