Parents erring with kids’ fevers

According to two new surveys of parents and pediatricians from Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, more than half of all parents reported feeling anxious, fearful or helpless when their child comes down with a fever. In addition, many parents are not managing the fever correctly.


The “Dose of Reality” survey exposed several areas in which parents may be making unintended mistakes in treating their child’s fever. For example, more than half of parents surveyed (54%) woke their child up in the middle of the night just to give them fever medication. However, most pediatricians believe a sleeping child should not be disturbed only to administer fever medication.


And nearly 1-in-4 parents admitted to giving their children an adult over-the-counter fever medication at an estimated lower dose, rather than giving children a medication made for children. This is something that one-third of pediatricians actually reported hearing from their patients.


Also, while the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents keep their child home from school or daycare until the child is fever-free for at least 24 hours, 52% of parents admitted to sending their children back to school or daycare less than 24 hours after their fever passed.

The article above is part of the DSN Category Review Series. For the complete Cough-Cold & Allergy Buy-In Report, including extensive charts, data and more analysis, click here.