A5V4d

Feverish illness in children
In round 1 of the survey the rating categories were:
1 to 3 4 to 6 7 to 9 Don’t know Missing Total Median
0 1 (2%) 48 (96%) 1 (2%) 3 50 9
The statement achieved 96% agreement and thus consensus.
Dehydration
A lack of evidence was found about whether to advise the parents/carers to look for signs of
dehydration. This then was included in the Delphi survey (see section 3.2).
Delphi statement 1.2
Parents/carers looking after a feverish child at home should be advised how to detect signs of
dehydration.
In round 1 of the survey the rating categories were:
1 to 3 4 to 6 7 to 9 Don’t know Missing Total Median
0 6 (12%) 42 (84%) 2 (4%) 3 50 8.5
The statement achieved 84% agreement and thus consensus.
There was some evidence about which features parents and carers should look for. Refer to
section 5.4 for symptoms and signs of dehydration for this purpose. The GDG decided that parents or
carers should be advised to look for the most sensitive symptoms and signs of dehydration so that
cases are not missed, and if signs of dehydration are detected the parents/carers should encourage
their child to drink more fluids and consider seeking further advice. The relevant features are:
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sunken fontanelle
dry mouth
sunken eyes
absence of tears
poor overall appearance.
Checking temperature
A lack of relevant evidence was found about advising parents/carers to regularly measure their child’s
temperature if the condition is stable. Therefore this was included in the Delphi survey.
Delphi statement 1.3
Parents/carers looking after a feverish child at home should be advised that regular measurement of
the child’s temperature is not necessary if the child’s condition is stable.
In round 1 of the Delphi survey the rating categories were:
1 to 3 4 to 6 7 to 9 Don’t know Missing Total Median
8 (16%) 17 (33%) 24 (47%) 2 (4%) 2 51 7
Consensus was therefore not reached in round 1.
In round 2 the rating categories were:
1 to 3 4 to 6 7 to 9 Don’t know Missing Total Median
9 (18%) 10 (20%) 32 (63%) 1 51 7