Understandably, parents worry when their
child develops a fever and, as a result, pyrexia is
one of the most common reasons for a child to
be taken to the GP and the second most
common reason for a child to be admitted to
hospital in the UK (National Institute for
Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2013).
Since 2006 in England, there has been a
two-fold increase in the number of short-term
hospital admissions of children under 15 years,
with admission mainly occurring in children
under the age of five (Gill et al 2013). This
increase in presentations is having an
unprecedented effect on an already
overburdened health service, especially since
most cases of fever are caused by self-limiting,
viral illnesses that require only minimal
intervention and can be safely managed at
home. While national and local strategies are
in place to reduce hospital attendances and