GP Vivas · child-and-youth-health
Fever in children — structured viva
Structured oral on the febrile child: defending the traffic-light system with its validated limits, the under-3-month rule, antipyretic evidence against fever phobia, febrile seizure evaluation, and the safety net that makes discharge defensible.
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Study tools
Target exams
RACGP CCEFRACGP oralsMRCGP SCA
Prompt
The examiner opens: 'Your practice still tells parents to alternate paracetamol and ibuprofen round-the-clock and to sponge children. Defend or dismantle that advice — and then tell me how you decide which febrile child goes to hospital.' The viva branches through risk stratification, age thresholds, antipyresis, seizures and discharge.
Stem
You are the GP. A colleague hands out a practice leaflet advising alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen every four hours around the clock plus tepid sponging for any childhood fever. [38] [12]
References10ShowHide
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- [7]Kerkhof E, Lakhanpaul M, Ray S, et al. The predictive value of the NICE red traffic lights in acutely ill children. PLoS One, 2014.PMID 24633015
- [12]Wong T, Stang AS, Ganshorn H, et al. Combined and alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen therapy for febrile children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2013.PMID 24174375
- [14]Meremikwu M, Oyo-Ita A Physical methods for treating fever in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2003.PMID 12804512
- [16]Subcommittee on Febrile Seizures, American Academy of Pediatrics Neurodiagnostic evaluation of the child with a simple febrile seizure. Pediatrics, 2011.PMID 21285335
- [17]Offringa M, Newton R, Nevitt SJ, et al. Prophylactic drug management for febrile seizures in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2021.PMID 34131913
- [19]Schmitt BD Fever phobia: misconceptions of parents about fevers. American Journal of Diseases of Children, 1980.PMID 7352443
- [20]Crocetti M, Moghbeli N, Serwint J Fever phobia revisited: have parental misconceptions about fever changed in 20 years? Pediatrics, 2001.PMID 11389237
- [38]Richardson M, Lakhanpaul M, Guideline Development Group and Technical Team Assessment and initial management of feverish illness in children younger than 5 years: summary of updated NICE guidance. BMJ, 2013.PMID 23697671