Fever < 3 months of age flowchart
Febrile illness in Children
Fever is defined as a temperature greater than or equal to 38°C.
Pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) refers to any fever lasting 10 – 21 days without a cause identified on history, examination and basic investigations and is beyond the scope of this guideline.
Key Points
- Consider sepsis early in any patient with signs or symptoms that indicate possible infection
- Fevers in most children under five years of age have a viral aetiology and extensive investigation is not required.
- Careful assessment will identify a focus on infection in most patients.
- The recommended management of febrile infants and children without an evident focus of infection is guided by the risk of serious bacterial infection.
- Neonates (age less than 28 days) and children who are not fully immunised are at greater risk of a serious bacterial infection
Management
Please refer to the CHQ Febrile illness – Emergency Management in Children’s Guideline (Children’s Health Qld – CHQ)
It is important to note that management for febrile illness is different for children less and greater than 3 months of age. Consult the relevant flow diagrams for management and care of the child.
Fever ≥ 3 months of age flowchart
Disclaimer
This guideline is intended as a guide and provided for the PARIS on Country project during the course of the study period. The information has been prepared using a multidisciplinary approach with reference to the best information and evidence available at the time of preparation. This guideline is based of the Children’s Health Queensland Guideline which can be viewed below
The guideline is not a substitute for clinical judgement, knowledge and expertise, or medical advice. Variation from the guideline, taking into account individual circumstances may be appropriate.
This guideline does not address all elements of standard practice and accepts that individual clinicians are responsible for:
- Providing care within the context of locally available resources, expertise, and scope of practice
- Supporting consumer rights and informed decision-making in partnership with healthcare practitioners including the right to decline intervention or ongoing management
- Advising consumers of their choices in an environment that is culturally appropriate and which enables comfortable and confidential discussion. This includes the use of interpreter services where necessary.
- Ensuring informed consent is obtained prior to delivering care
- Meeting all legislative requirements and professional standards
- Applying standard precautions, and additional precautions as necessary, when delivering care
Documenting all care in accordance with mandatory and local requirements