Management of fever and associated symptoms in children and adults: an Italian national survey

Abstract

An advisory committee of Italian experts conducted a national, cross-sectional, web-based survey in June 2024 to describe the current management of fever and associated symptoms in different settings, including primary care, emergency departments, and hospital wards in pediatric and adult patients. The survey covered two domains: participants’ features and questions about the main drugs prescribed to treat fever and associated symptoms. A total of 832 questionnaires were analyzed. Paracetamol was the most prescribed drug to treat fever. Most participants were influenced by related symptoms when choosing the most appropriate drug. Almost all participants selected the oral route as their preferred one. This survey provides a current state of fever management among physicians in different settings throughout Italy. It highlights a trend in treating fever with antipyretics at appropriate doses and evaluating pain through validated scales.

Keywords

• Fever
• antipyretics
• pain scales