Symptomatic fever management in children A systematic review of national and international guidelines

Abstract

IntroductionA comprehensive assessment of the recommendations made by clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) on symptomatic fever management in children has not been carried out. MethodsSearches were conducted on Pubmed, google scholar, pediatric society websites and guideline databases to locate CPGs from each country. Rather than assessing overall guideline quality, the level of evidence for each recommendation was evaluated according to criteria of the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (OCEBM). A GRADE assessment was undertaken to assess the body of evidence related to a single question: the threshold for initiating antipyresis. Results74 guidelines were retrieved. Recommendations for antipyretic threshold, type and dose; ambient temperature; dress/covering; activity; fluids; nutrition; proctoclysis; external applications; complementary/herbal recommendations; media; and age-related treatment differences all varied widely. OCEBM evidence levels for most recommendations were low (Level 3-4) or indeterminable. The GRADE assessment revealed a very low level of evidence for a threshold for antipyresis. ConclusionThere is no recommendation on which all guidelines agree, and many are inconsistent with the evidence - this is true even for recent guidelines. The threshold question is of fundamental importance and has not yet been answered. Guidelines for the most frequent intervention (antipyresis) remain problematic.