NCT01038219

Brief 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. 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. 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.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
520

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for all trials

Timeline
Completed

Started May 2010

Longer than P75 for all trials

Geographic Reach
1 country

2 active sites

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

December 20, 2009

Completed
3 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

December 23, 2009

Completed
4 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

May 1, 2010

Completed
4.9 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

April 1, 2015

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

April 1, 2015

Completed
Last Updated

April 14, 2015

Status Verified

May 1, 2014

Enrollment Period

4.9 years

First QC Date

December 20, 2009

Last Update Submit

April 13, 2015

Conditions

Keywords

feverchildrenSUBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

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

    one year

Study Arms (1)

fever measurements

1000 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.

Eligibility Criteria

AgeUp to 18 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsChild (0-17), Adult (18-64)
Sampling MethodNon-Probability Sample
Study Population

Children ages 0-18 years Boys and girls

You may qualify if:

  • 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.

You may not qualify if:

  • None

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (2)

Meir MC

Kfar Saba, Israel

Location

Pediatrics unit, Meir Medical Center

Kfar Saba, Israel

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Fever

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Body Temperature ChangesSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

Study Type
observational
Observational Model
CASE ONLY
Time Perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

December 20, 2009

First Posted

December 23, 2009

Study Start

May 1, 2010

Primary Completion

April 1, 2015

Study Completion

April 1, 2015

Last Updated

April 14, 2015

Record last verified: 2014-05

Locations