Febrile Young Infant Learning Module

Abstract

Abstract Fever is a common reason that young infants are brought to medical attention. Therefore, medical providers who care for children should be well versed in the evaluation and management of these patients. There are several different protocols that address their management, each with different strategies. We saw a need to develop this module for the medical students, residents, and fellows who work in our pediatric emergency department in order to standardize their approach to these patients. The module consists of a pretest, a PowerPoint presentation, case-based small-group exercises, and algorithm creation. The mean score on the pretest was 63%, with only 45% successfully completing an algorithm with all of the required components. On the posttest, 95% of learners successfully created an algorithm with all required components for the neonate with fever, and 93% successfully created an algorithm for the young febrile infant. There was some variability in the algorithms created, but 90% of learners were able to identify which protocol their approach most closely mirrored as well as justify their approach. Thus, we believe this is an effective module that will be useful for anyone involved in the care of young febrile infants.

Keywords

• Neonate
• Fever
• Urinary Tract Infection
• Newborn Infant
• Serious Bacterial Infection