Providing weight-based prescriptions for fever medicine to reduce emergency department return visits for young children.
Prescription Antipyretics to Decrease Unscheduled Return Visits In A Pediatric Emergency Department
NA · University of Texas at Austin · NCT07074912
This will test if giving caregivers weight-based prescriptions for acetaminophen and ibuprofen to children aged 6 to 35 months when they leave the ED reduces unscheduled return visits within one week.
Quick facts
| Phase | NA |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 440 (estimated) |
| Ages | 6 Months to 36 Months |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | University of Texas at Austin (other) |
| Locations | 1 site (Austin, Texas) |
| Trial ID | NCT07074912 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
Unscheduled return visits for fever add burden to families and emergency departments, and dosing confusion may lead caregivers to return for unresolved fever. This is a single-center randomized controlled trial in a pediatric ED that randomizes eligible children to receive either weight-based prescriptions for acetaminophen and ibuprofen or standard discharge instructions. The intervention provides explicit, weight-based dosing prescriptions for both antipyretics while the control arm receives usual care. The primary outcome is the rate of unscheduled return visits for the same complaint within one week after discharge.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Children aged 6 to less than 36 months evaluated for fever in the Dell Children's Medical Center ED who are discharged home and have caregivers fluent in English or Spanish are the intended participants.
Not a fit: Children who are admitted, have allergies or contraindications to acetaminophen or ibuprofen, present with other painful conditions, or whose caregivers already request antipyretic prescriptions are unlikely to benefit from the intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce short-term return visits to the emergency department and lower caregiver uncertainty about correct fever dosing.
How similar studies have performed: There are no published studies specifically testing whether prescribed, weight-based antipyretics reduce return ED visits, so this approach is largely untested.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Children 6 to \< 36 months of age being discharged home from Dell Children's Medical Center emergency department who are evaluated for fever * Caregiver fluent in English or Spanish Exclusion Criteria: * Previous enrollment in this study * Patient admitted to hospital * Parental request for a prescription for acetaminophen and/or ibuprofen * Trauma patient * Orthopedic complaint * Other painful indication for acetaminophen or ibuprofen * Acetaminophen or ibuprofen prescribed for anything other than fever * Allergy or another contraindication to acetaminophen or ibuprofen * Parent and patient unlikely to follow up in the region (i.e., lives out of state)
Where this trial is running
Austin, Texas
- Dell Children's Medical Center — Austin, Texas, United States (RECRUITING)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Lina Palomares, RN, LMSW
- Email: lina.palomares@austin.utexas.edu
- Phone: 512-660-7792
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions: Fever, emergency department, fever, pediatrics