‘Teach people how to take their kid’s temperature’: Fever syndromes call for education
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ORLANDO, Fla. — Periodic fever syndromes call for careful documentation, school and work accommodations, and patient education, according to a presenter at the 2024 Rheumatology Nurses Society annual conference.
“A fever syndrome is repetitive episodes of fevers — like three or more in 6 months, and at least 7 days apart,” Carolyn Zic, MSN, FNP-BC, a rheumatology nurse practitioner at Comer Children’s Hospital, in Chicago, told attendees. “In general, most of these are pretty rare, but it’s good for us to know about them.”
During her talk, Zic explained how to diagnose and treat several periodic fever syndromes, such as familial Mediterranean fever, particularly among pediatric patients. She additionally pointed out several nursing considerations to bear in mind when caring for patients with any of these syndromes.
For example, Zic emphasized the need for careful documentation of fever history. She also suggested providing families with a thermometer if they do not have one.
“A lot of people don’t,” Zic said.
“Teach people how to take their kid’s temperature,” she added, cautioning against taking a parent’s word on faith that they “just know” their child had a fever. “I agree with you, you know when your kid has a fever, but when I’m trying to figure out what their kid has, I need to know what their fever was, and for how long, and what it responded to.”
Noting that some periodic fever syndromes can be “super disruptive to life,” Zic said providers should do what they can to mitigate impact on school and work.
“When you know that it’s the diagnosis, give that kid a note for school so they don’t get sent home once a month for how many days,” she said. “Give the parent a Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) form or something for work.”
Zic also suggested reviewing infection prevention with patients, particularly those on immunosuppressive medications, and to be on the lookout for other causes of sickness, such as strep throat, that might be unrelated to their periodic fever syndrome.
“If their fever syndrome doesn’t fit with their normal pattern, go to their provider,” she said. “They might need treatment for something else.”
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Zic C. First Fever to Lasting Care: Periodic Fever Syndromes Across the Lifespan. Presented at: Rheumatology Nurses Society annual conference; July 17-20, 2024, in Orlando, Florida (hybrid meeting).
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