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FEVERNCT01038219

Reliability of Subjective Assessment of Fever by Parents and Health Care Providers in Children and Adolescents

An observational study of FEVER, run by Meir Medical Center at 2 sites in Israel.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Background: Fever is a widespread symptom in many diseases. Therefore, its value and diagnostic importance are well known. Fever in children is one of the common reasons for a visit to the pediatrician. Also, taking temperature is a very simple action and accessible to the general public. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages Up to 18 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
FEVER
How many people
520 participants
Where
2 sitesIsrael
Study dates
May 2010to Apr 2015
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Up to 18 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult

Study population: Children ages 0-18 years Boys and girls

Who may be able to join

  • The estimates and the measurements will be carried out on children who are referred to an emergency unit and who are hospitalized in the pediatric department-- both boys and girls of all ages. A patient might be measured several times.

Who cannot join

  • None

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

Israel2 sites
  • Meir MC

    Kfar Saba

  • Pediatrics unit, Meir Medical Center

    Kfar Saba

Other trials in Israel

About this study

Background: Fever is a widespread symptom in many diseases. Therefore, its value and diagnostic importance are well known. Fever in children is one of the common reasons for a visit to the pediatrician. Also, taking temperature is a very simple action and accessible to the general public.

Temperature is measured in various parts of the body by using medical equipment. The type of method and thermometer varies according to the patient's age but often temperature is estimated by touch. Temperature measurement serves as a means for monitoring the patient's condition. For that reason, supervision of the body temperature is an important factor in the process of taking medical decisions.

Read more

Study rationale: the parent is often asked if the child's temperature has been taken. The most frequent answer is: "I didn't measure, but I felt that he has a temperature". The few studies carried out on this subject showed that many parents used touch to evaluate the child's body temperature, especially in infants.

Some studies checked the reliability of parents to estimate the child's body temperature by touch only. To the best of our knowledge, the reliability of medical staff (nurses) to estimate the child's body temperature by touch has never been studied.

The aim of the current study is to investigate whether parents and nurses correctly estimate the child's body temperature by touch, as compared to thermometer measurement during the pediatric unit's routine work.

Read the detailed description

1000 estimates and measurements of children's body temperatures will be carried out by parents and nurses in the pediatric emergency unit and pediatric department as part of the routine work. The estimates and the measurements will be carried out on both boys and girls of all ages. A patient might be measured several times.

The measurements will be gathered in the course of one year. Before the routine taking of temperature, the accompanying parent will be asked to estimate the patient's temperature by feeling his forehead (with the back of the hand, the palm, lips). The parent will record his evaluation (without telling the nurse). Afterwards the nurse will perform a similar evaluation (excluding the lip test), record it, and then the routine temperature measurement will be taken and recorded.

Medical Equipment The temperature will be taken with the existing equipment in the emergency ward and in the children's ward. A rectal measurement will be taken in the case of children under two years old. Children over two will be measured orally. The temperature of children suffering from diarrhea and vomiting will be taken with an ordinary mercury thermometer. All other measurements will be made using an electronic, mobile thermometer manufactured by the Filac Company, (FasTemp electronic thermometer) routinely used in the emergency ward and pediatric departments.

Conditions
FEVER
Keywords
fever, children, SUBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT
Medical subject headings
Fever

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

Study groups in NCT01038219
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
fever measurements1000 estimates and measurements of children's body temperatures will be carried out by parents and nurses in children's emergency and pediatric units as part of the routine work. The estimates and the measurements will be carried out on children who are referred to an emergency unit and who are hospitalized in the pediatric department-- both boys and girls of all ages. A patient might be measured several times. The measurements will be gathered in the course of one year. Before the routine taking of temperature, the accompanying parent will be asked to estimate the patient's temperature by feeling his forehead (with the back of the hand, the palm, lips). The parent will record his evaluation (without telling the nurse). Afterwards the nurse will do a similar evaluation (excepting the lip test), record it, and then the routine temperature measurement will be taken.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. subjective assessment of fever by both parents and medical personnel will be unreliable

    Measured: one year

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted23 Dec 2009 (estimated)
  2. Study startMay 2010
  3. Primary completionApr 2015
  4. Study completionApr 2015

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Case only
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
520 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01038219
Sponsor's protocol ID
MMC129-09CTIL
Status last verified
May 2014
First submitted
20 Dec 2009
Last updated
14 Apr 2015
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of FEVER, run by Meir Medical Center at 2 sites in Israel.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Apr 2015. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in Israel. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

subjective assessment of fever by both parents and medical personnel will be unreliable (time frame: one year). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Apr 2015.

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