For a study, researchers sought to learn about parents’ experiences caring for their kids with acute otitis media (AOM), including detecting symptoms, their thoughts and feelings about those symptoms, how they managed the episode, and what variables prompted them to seek medical help. They conducted 24 semi-structured cross-sectional interviews with parents of children 3 to 36 months old with AOM diagnosed at primary care offices affiliated with the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh from October 2019 to February 2020 about symptoms and behaviors that led parents to believe their child might have AOM; symptoms that were most bothersome to parent and child; what parents did in reaction to these symptoms; and motivations for seeking clinical care; and parents’ expectations regarding AOM resolution. Template analysis was used to analyze the data, resulting in a hybrid inductive/deductive analytic approach. Within 72 hours of receiving an AOM diagnosis, investigators interviewed 24 parents. Even though ear tugging was present in just half of the children in the sample, parents usually considered it the most suggestive symptom of AOM. When their child had a high temperature or a lack of sleep, or when symptoms worsened or were refractory to home cures, parents sought medical help. Parents of children who had previously had recurrent AOM had an easier time recognizing AOM symptoms than parents who had never had an ear infection. The outcomes shed light on the signs of AOM that worry parents and encourage them to seek medical help. The ability of parents to perceive and report AOM symptoms varied. Rather than focusing on ear tugging and fever alone when questioning parents concerned that their preverbal kid has AOM, physicians should ascertain all aberrant behaviors noted by the parent.

Source:bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-022-01737-4

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