Impact of Artificial Intelligence-Supported Educational Intervention on Mothers' Fever Management

TC Erciyes University80 enrolled

Overview

This study aims to evaluate the effect of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based educational program on mothers' fever management practices and anxiety related to fever in children. Fever is a common symptom in pediatric patients, especially under the age of three, causing repeated health concerns for parents. Despite the prevalence of fever, parents often engage in inappropriate fever management practices, which may lead to unnecessary anxiety and improper care. The study was conducted as a pretest-posttest experimental design including 80 mothers of children who presented to the Pediatric Emergency Unit at Erciyes University, Fevzi Mercan-Mustafa Eraslan Children's Hospital. Participants were assigned to either an intervention group receiving AI-supported fever management education or a control group receiving standard care. Data were collected using validated scales to assess parental fever management practices and anxiety levels before and after the intervention. The educational material was developed using ChatGPT 4.0, a large language model AI platform, and reviewed by pediatric experts. The results of this study may improve fever management education and reduce anxiety among mothers, potentially leading to better health outcomes for children.

This study investigates the impact of an AI-supported educational program on mothers' fever management practices and anxiety. Fever is common in pediatric patients and can cause significant concern for parents, especially for children under three years old. Parents often engage in inappropriate fever management practices, leading to improper care and increased anxiety. The study uses a pretest-posttest experimental design involving 80 mothers who presented to the Pediatric Emergency Unit at Erciyes University, Fevzi Mercan-Mustafa Eraslan Children's Hospital. Participants were assigned to either an intervention group receiving education developed using ChatGPT 4.0, reviewed by pediatric experts, or a control group receiving standard care. Data collection tools include validated scales measuring fever management practices and anxiety levels. The intervention aims to improve mothers' fever management practices and reduce anxiety, potentially improving child health outcomes.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 50 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Mothers aged over 18 years, * Mothers with children aged between 6 months and 5 years, * No hearing problems, * Agree to participate in the study, * Presenting to the pediatric emergency department with a complaint of fever in their child, * Child admitted to the emergency observation room for treatment, * Able to speak and understand Turkish. Exclusion Criteria: * Illiterate mothers, * Mothers whose children have had febrile seizures, * Mothers whose children have comorbid diseases, * Mothers whose children have symptoms requiring medical intervention other than fever.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in Parents' Fever Management Practices

The Parents' Fever Management Scale (PFMS; Turkish: EAYÖ), developed by Walsh et al. (2008) and validated in Turkish by Altun et al. (2011), measures parents' fever management practices. It consists of 8 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1=Never, 2=Rarely, 3=Sometimes, 4=Often, 5=Always), yielding a total score ranging from 8 to 40. Higher total scores indicate more fever phobia and less appropriate fever management practices, whereas lower scores indicate more appropriate practices. Therefore, a decrease in the total score reflects improvement. In this study, a reduction in PFMS scores in the intervention group relative to the control group was hypothesized.

Time frame: Baseline and 2 weeks after intervention

Secondary Outcomes

Change in Parental Anxiety Levels

Anxiety was measured using the short version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S), consisting of 5 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale, with total scores ranging from 5 to 20. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety and lower scores indicate less anxiety; therefore, a decrease in the score reflects reduced anxiety.