Febrile IllnessFEARVERNCT04925401
Evaluation of Knowledge About Fever After Consultation in the Pediatric Emergency Department
A study testing The Information brochure will be created on the basis of information given by the French pediatric network Courlygone and the French National Authority for Health. in people with Febrile Illness and Fever, run by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris at 1 site in France.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of an information brochure on parent / legal guardians' knowledge of what to do about their child's febrile episode after a pediatric emergency department visit. Single-center randomized controlled trial. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Febrile Illness, Fever, Stress
- What is being tested?
- The Information brochure will be created on the basis of information given by the French pediatric network Courlygone and the French National Authority for Health.
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 220 participants
- Where
- 1 siteFrance
- Study dates
- 2 Nov 2021to 21 Oct 2022
- Phase
- Interventional
- 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 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Be of legal age
- Be the parent/legal guardian of a child aged between 3 months and 15 years,
- A child with a fever > 38°celsus on arrival at the emergency room (measured by electronic thermometer rectally for children under 2 years of age or axillary/oral for children over 2 years of age),
- Severity of care rating by the IOA grade 4 (non-emergency care)
- Parent affiliated to a social security system or entitled to it
- Parent under "AME" French social security system
- Parent informed and having signed the consent
Who cannot join
- Parent/legal guardian who does not speak or read French,
- Child with a pathology that does not allow for rectal temperature taking
- Parent/legal guardian with a visual impairment that prevents reading the information note and/or the information brochure.
- Parent / legal guardian under guardianship
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Evaluation of Knowledge About Fever After Consultation in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Standard Consultation Versus Standard Consultation With Distribution of an Information Leaflet About Fever in Pre-consultation
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of an information brochure on parent / legal guardians' knowledge of what to do about their child's febrile episode after a pediatric emergency department visit.
Single-center randomized controlled trial.
Read the detailed description
Fever is a common symptom of viral or bacterial infection in pediatrics. Previous studies using both qualitative and quantitative methods have established that intervention with parents/legal guardians on fever management decreases their worry and anxiety related to their child's occurrence of a febrile episode, limits unwise use of antipyretic medication (Walsh, 2006; Walsh, 2008; Peetom, 2017), but also reduces the use of emergency room or telephone medical consultations (Peetom, 2017).
The majority of visits for febrile conditions in children over 3 months of age are avoidable and do not require emergency and/or hospital care. Mistaken beliefs and lack of knowledge about what to do in the event of a febrile episode lead parents to consult a hospital emergency room for their child, which can have an impact on emergency room overcrowding.
The proportion of emergency room visits for febrile conditions assessed by the Intake and Referral Nurse (IOR) as not requiring urgent care raises questions about parents'/legal guardians' knowledge of fever, its monitoring, and what to do during a febrile episode.
The aim of our study is to evaluate parents' knowledge of fever and the appropriate course of action during a febrile episode in a pediatric emergency department of a Parisian university hospital by comparing standard management practices with the knowledge provided by an information brochure.
- Conditions
- Febrile Illness, Fever, Stress
- Being tested
- The Information brochure will be created on the basis of information given by the French pediatric network Courlygone and the French National Authority for Health.
- Keywords
- Febrile episode, pediatric, pediatric emergency department, therapeutic education
- Medical subject headings
- Fever
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
The Information brochure will be created on the basis of information given by the French pediatric network Courlygone and the French National Authority for Health.Behavioural
An information brochure on fever in children and how to deal with a paediatric febrile episode and usual medical management.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Information brochure Arm | Experimental | The experimental group will receive an information brochure on fever in children and how to deal with a febrile episode and usual medical management. Receives: Behavioral: The Information brochure will be created on the basis of information given by the French pediatric network Courlygone and the French National Authority for Health. |
| Habitual care | No intervention | The control group will receive the usual medical management |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Number of participants with correct answer to question about management of a paediatric febrile episode.
Number of correct answers to question n°7 (what to do during a febrile episode) of the questionnaire
Measured: 1 day
Secondary outcomes (9)
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°1 about knowledge about paediatric febrile episode
Answer to question n°1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 \& 10. Number of participants with correct answers, between the two arms
Measured: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°2 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Answer to question n° 2. Number of participants with correct answers, between the two arms. Factors associated with a high number of correct responses: age of child, age of legal guardian, socio-professional category, child's place in sibling group, child's medical follow-up.
Measured: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°3 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Answer to question n° 3. Number of participants with correct answers, between the two arms.
Measured: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°4 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Answer to question n° 4. Number of participants with correct answers, between the two arms.
Measured: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°5 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Answer to question n° 5. Number of participants with correct answers, between the two arms.
Measured: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°6 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Answer to question n° 6. Number of participants with correct answers, between the two arms.
Measured: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°8 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Answer to question n° 8. Number of participants with correct answers, between the two arms.
Measured: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°9 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Answer to question n° 9. Number of participants with correct answers, between the two arms.
Measured: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°10 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Answer to question n° 10. Number of participants with correct answers, between the two arms.
Measured: 1 day
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted14 Jun 2021
- Study start2 Nov 2021
- Primary completion21 Oct 2022
- Study completion21 Oct 2022
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (14)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Febrile IllnessStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de ParisThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Care provider
- Enrolment
- 220 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- URC-CIC Paris Descartes Necker Cochin
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Hélène CHAPPUY, MD, PhD, Study director, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04925401
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- APHP210578
- Other IDs
- 2021-A00643-38
- Acronym
- FEARVER
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 27 May 2021
- Last updated
- 20 Nov 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Schmitt BD. Fever phobia: misconceptions of parents about fevers. Am J Dis Child. 1980 Feb;134(2):176-81.
PubMed 7352443Poirier MP, Davis PH, Gonzalez-del Rey JA, Monroe KW. Pediatric emergency department nurses' perspectives on fever in children. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2000 Feb;16(1):9-12. doi: 10.1097/00006565-200002000-00003.
PubMed 10698135Burokiene S, Kairiene I, Stricka M, Labanauskas L, Cerkauskiene R, Raistenskis J, Burokaite E, Usonis V. Unscheduled return visits to a pediatric emergency department. Medicina (Kaunas). 2017;53(1):66-71. doi: 10.1016/j.medici.2017.01.003. Epub 2017 Jan 31.
PubMed 28233682Bereznicki BJ, Tucker MG, Beggs SA, Zosky GR, Bereznicki LR. Emergency department presentations of febrile children to an Australian public hospital. J Paediatr Child Health. 2018 Dec;54(12):1308-1313. doi: 10.1111/jpc.14071. Epub 2018 Jun 6.
PubMed 29874409Enarson MC, Ali S, Vandermeer B, Wright RB, Klassen TP, Spiers JA. Beliefs and expectations of Canadian parents who bring febrile children for medical care. Pediatrics. 2012 Oct;130(4):e905-12. doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-2140. Epub 2012 Sep 10.
PubMed 22966028Betz MG, Grunfeld AF. 'Fever phobia' in the emergency department: a survey of children's caregivers. Eur J Emerg Med. 2006 Jun;13(3):129-33. doi: 10.1097/01.mej.0000194401.15335.c7.
PubMed 16679875Morrison AK, Chanmugathas R, Schapira MM, Gorelick MH, Hoffmann RG, Brousseau DC. Caregiver low health literacy and nonurgent use of the pediatric emergency department for febrile illness. Acad Pediatr. 2014 Sep-Oct;14(5):505-9. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2014.05.001. Epub 2014 Jun 16.
PubMed 24942934Walsh A, Edwards H. Management of childhood fever by parents: literature review. J Adv Nurs. 2006 Apr;54(2):217-27. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.03802.x.
PubMed 16553708Walsh A, Edwards H, Fraser J. Parents' childhood fever management: community survey and instrument development. J Adv Nurs. 2008 Aug;63(4):376-88. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04721.x.
PubMed 18727765Peetoom KK, Smits JJ, Ploum LJ, Verbakel JY, Dinant GJ, Cals JW. Does well-child care education improve consultations and medication management for childhood fever and common infections? A systematic review. Arch Dis Child. 2017 Mar;102(3):261-267. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2016-311042. Epub 2016 Jul 18.
PubMed 27432451Considine J, Brennan D. Effect of an evidence-based education programme on ED discharge advice for febrile children. J Clin Nurs. 2007 Sep;16(9):1687-94. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2006.01716.x.
PubMed 17727587Monsma J, Richerson J, Sloand E. Empowering parents for evidence-based fever management: An integrative review. J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2015 Apr;27(4):222-9. doi: 10.1002/2327-6924.12152. Epub 2014 Jul 25.
PubMed 25066313Broome ME, Dokken DL, Broome CD, Woodring B, Stegelman MF. A study of parent/grandparent education for managing a febrile illness using the CALM approach. J Pediatr Health Care. 2003 Jul-Aug;17(4):176-83. doi: 10.1067/mph.2003.4.
PubMed 12847427Baker MD, Monroe KW, King WD, Sorrentino A, Glaeser PW. Effectiveness of fever education in a pediatric emergency department. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2009 Sep;25(9):565-8. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0b013e3181b4f64e.
PubMed 19755888
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 Nov 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Evaluation of Knowledge About Fever After Consultation in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Standard Consultation Versus Standard Consultation With Distribution of an Information Leaflet About Fever in Pre-consultation
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04925401
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- FEARVER / APHP210578
- Conditions
- Febrile Illness, Fever, Stress
- Keywords
- Febrile episode, pediatric, pediatric emergency department, therapeutic education
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 220 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de ParisUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- URC-CIC Paris Descartes Necker Cochin
- Study start
- 2 Nov 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 21 Oct 2022 (actual)
- Study completion
- 21 Oct 2022 (actual)
- First posted
- 14 Jun 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of an information brochure on parent / legal guardians' knowledge of what to do about their child's febrile episode after a pediatric emergency department visit.
Single-center randomized controlled trial.
Detailed description
Fever is a common symptom of viral or bacterial infection in pediatrics. Previous studies using both qualitative and quantitative methods have established that intervention with parents/legal guardians on fever management decreases their worry and anxiety related to their child's occurrence of a febrile episode, limits unwise use of antipyretic medication (Walsh, 2006; Walsh, 2008; Peetom, 2017), but also reduces the use of emergency room or telephone medical consultations (Peetom, 2017).
The majority of visits for febrile conditions in children over 3 months of age are avoidable and do not require emergency and/or hospital care. Mistaken beliefs and lack of knowledge about what to do in the event of a febrile episode lead parents to consult a hospital emergency room for their child, which can have an impact on emergency room overcrowding.
The proportion of emergency room visits for febrile conditions assessed by the Intake and Referral Nurse (IOR) as not requiring urgent care raises questions about parents'/legal guardians' knowledge of fever, its monitoring, and what to do during a febrile episode.
The aim of our study is to evaluate parents' knowledge of fever and the appropriate course of action during a febrile episode in a pediatric emergency department of a Parisian university hospital by comparing standard management practices with the knowledge provided by an information brochure.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (care provider)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Information brochure Arm | Experimental | Behavioral: The Information brochure will be created on the basis of information given by the French pediatric network Courlygone and the French National Authority for Health.The experimental group will receive an information brochure on fever in children and how to deal with a febrile episode and usual medical management. |
| Habitual care | No intervention | –The control group will receive the usual medical management |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Be of legal age
- Be the parent/legal guardian of a child aged between 3 months and 15 years,
- A child with a fever > 38°celsus on arrival at the emergency room (measured by electronic thermometer rectally for children under 2 years of age or axillary/oral for children over 2 years of age),
- Severity of care rating by the IOA grade 4 (non-emergency care)
- Parent affiliated to a social security system or entitled to it
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Parent/legal guardian who does not speak or read French,
- Child with a pathology that does not allow for rectal temperature taking
- Parent/legal guardian with a visual impairment that prevents reading the information note and/or the information brochure.
- Parent / legal guardian under guardianship
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| The Information brochure will be created on the basis of information given by the French pediatric network Courlygone and the French National Authority for Health.An information brochure on fever in children and how to deal with a paediatric febrile episode and usual medical management. | Behavioural | Information brochure Arm |
Primary outcome
Number of participants with correct answer to question about management of a paediatric febrile episode.
Time frame: 1 day
Number of correct answers to question n°7 (what to do during a febrile episode) of the questionnaire
9 secondary outcomes
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°1 about knowledge about paediatric febrile episode
Time frame: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°2 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Time frame: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°3 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Time frame: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°4 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Time frame: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°5 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Time frame: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°6 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Time frame: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°8 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Time frame: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°9 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Time frame: 1 day
Number of participants with correct answer to question n°10 about knowledge's about paediatric febrile episode
Time frame: 1 day
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 20 Nov 2025.
- Background: PubMed 7352443Schmitt BD. Fever phobia: misconceptions of parents about fevers. Am J Dis Child. 1980 Feb;134(2):176-81.
- Background: PubMed 10698135Poirier MP, Davis PH, Gonzalez-del Rey JA, Monroe KW. Pediatric emergency department nurses' perspectives on fever in children. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2000 Feb;16(1):9-12. doi: 10.1097/00006565-200002000-00003.
- Background: PubMed 28233682Burokiene S, Kairiene I, Stricka M, Labanauskas L, Cerkauskiene R, Raistenskis J, Burokaite E, Usonis V. Unscheduled return visits to a pediatric emergency department. Medicina (Kaunas). 2017;53(1):66-71. doi: 10.1016/j.medici.2017.01.003. Epub 2017 Jan 31.
- Background: PubMed 29874409Bereznicki BJ, Tucker MG, Beggs SA, Zosky GR, Bereznicki LR. Emergency department presentations of febrile children to an Australian public hospital. J Paediatr Child Health. 2018 Dec;54(12):1308-1313. doi: 10.1111/jpc.14071. Epub 2018 Jun 6.
- Background: PubMed 22966028Enarson MC, Ali S, Vandermeer B, Wright RB, Klassen TP, Spiers JA. Beliefs and expectations of Canadian parents who bring febrile children for medical care. Pediatrics. 2012 Oct;130(4):e905-12. doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-2140. Epub 2012 Sep 10.
- Background: PubMed 16679875Betz MG, Grunfeld AF. 'Fever phobia' in the emergency department: a survey of children's caregivers. Eur J Emerg Med. 2006 Jun;13(3):129-33. doi: 10.1097/01.mej.0000194401.15335.c7.
- Background: PubMed 24942934Morrison AK, Chanmugathas R, Schapira MM, Gorelick MH, Hoffmann RG, Brousseau DC. Caregiver low health literacy and nonurgent use of the pediatric emergency department for febrile illness. Acad Pediatr. 2014 Sep-Oct;14(5):505-9. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2014.05.001. Epub 2014 Jun 16.
- Background: PubMed 16553708Walsh A, Edwards H. Management of childhood fever by parents: literature review. J Adv Nurs. 2006 Apr;54(2):217-27. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.03802.x.
- Background: PubMed 18727765Walsh A, Edwards H, Fraser J. Parents' childhood fever management: community survey and instrument development. J Adv Nurs. 2008 Aug;63(4):376-88. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04721.x.
- Background: PubMed 27432451Peetoom KK, Smits JJ, Ploum LJ, Verbakel JY, Dinant GJ, Cals JW. Does well-child care education improve consultations and medication management for childhood fever and common infections? A systematic review. Arch Dis Child. 2017 Mar;102(3):261-267. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2016-311042. Epub 2016 Jul 18.
- Background: PubMed 17727587Considine J, Brennan D. Effect of an evidence-based education programme on ED discharge advice for febrile children. J Clin Nurs. 2007 Sep;16(9):1687-94. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2006.01716.x.
- Background: PubMed 25066313Monsma J, Richerson J, Sloand E. Empowering parents for evidence-based fever management: An integrative review. J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2015 Apr;27(4):222-9. doi: 10.1002/2327-6924.12152. Epub 2014 Jul 25.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Hélène CHAPPUY, MD, PhD study director
Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing The Information brochure will be created on the basis of information given by the French pediatric network Courlygone and the French National Authority for Health. in people with Febrile Illness and Fever, run by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris at 1 site in France.
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 7 inclusion and 4 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 20 Nov 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in France. 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?
Number of participants with correct answer to question about management of a paediatric febrile episode. (time frame: 1 day). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04925401, which also lists 14 linked publications.
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 20 Nov 2025.