Young Sun Chung | 2 Articles |
PURPOSE
Fever is a common problem in children. Misconceptions about fever are exacerbated by variations in knowledge and practice of pediatric nurses. The purposes of this study were to identify the knowledge and attitude toward fever and its management and to identify the relationship between knowledge and attitude. METHODS A descriptive correlation study was conducted with 114 pediatric nurses in G city. Self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test or ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS The mean percent of correct responses for physiology of fever, fever management and antipyretics was 51.3%. Knowledge of antipyretics was lower than knowledge of other items with 29.2% correct. Both positive and negative attitudes were discovered. Pediatric nurses' in this study reported negative attitudes toward beneficial effects of fever and positive attitudes toward use of antipyretics to prevent febrile convulsions and reduction of temperatures as low as 38.3degrees C. There was no statistically significant correlation between knowledge and attitude related to fever management. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that improvements are needed in management practices of pediatric nurses. Educational interventions to increase knowledge of fever management by pediatric nurses and to strengthen positive attitudes about childhood fever are recommended. Citations Citations to this article as recorded by
PURPOSE
S: Venipuncture is one of the most painful and frequently performed invasive procedures for children done by nurses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of EMLA cream (eutectic mixture of local anesthetics: 2.5% lidocaine and 2.5% prilocaine) to decrease venipuncture related pain and anxiety in children. METHODS A randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled study was conducted. Sixty children scheduled for venipuncture were recruited, and randomly assigned to receive either EMLA or a placebo cream 1 hour before the venipuncture. Venipuncture was carried out by one of the nurse investigators. Pain and anxiety were measured by the parent, nurse investigator, and nurse observer. RESULTS Pain in the EMLA group was significantly lower than that of the placebo group. However, there was no significant difference in anxiety score between the EMLA and placebo groups. Local side effects of EMLA cream were negligible. CONCLUSIONS EMLA cream was found to be an effective local anesthetic for pediatric venipuncture pain. Further studies should continue to evaluate the facilitators and barriers of EMLA cream application in pediatric nursing practice.
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