Role of Parental Attitudes Towards Rational Drug Use in Predicting Fever Management Practices

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was conducted in a descriptive cross-sectional type to investigate the prediction of parental attitudes toward rational drug use on fever management practices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted between March and May 2019 with 150 parents whose children were receiving treatment at the pediatric units. The study data were collected using a Parental Data Form, the Parental Attitude Scale Toward Rational Drug Use (PASTRDU), and the Parent Fever Management Scale (PFMS). Percentage calculations, mean scores, Pearson's correlation analysis, linear regression analysis, and multiple correlation analysis were employed for data analysis.RESULTS: Three models were formed according to the relationship between variables in multiple regression analysis. According to the models developed, the PFMS was found to increase as the overall score and sub-dimension scores of the PASTRDU increased (p<0.001).CONCLUSION: It is thought that parents who develop positive attitudes toward rational drug use and manage their child's fever appropriately will experience less anxiety, their quality of life will improve, their self-confidence in child care will increase, and their satisfaction with the care that they receive from health professionals will increase.