Effectiveness of an Online Educational Intervention to Improve Parents' Fever Management Practices: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Type of Research: The research was planned as a single-blind, randomized controlled experimental design to evaluate the effect of education provided to parents via WhatsApp on parents' fever management.

Place and Time of the Research: The research will be conducted between April 2025 and July 2025 with parents who were reached via social media and agreed to participate in the study voluntarily.

Research Universe and Sample: The study sample consists of parents with children aged 0-5. The sample size of the research was calculated using the G*Power 3.1.9.7 program. In the calculation, the sample calculation was made for the Two-Way Mixed Design ANOVA analysis, considering the 2-group (Experimental Group, Control Group) and 3-measurement (Pretest, Posttest, Permanence test) research design. In the calculation, the effect size was calculated as 0.15 (f = 0.15), 5% margin of error (α = 0.05) and 80% power (1-β = 0.80) and the sample size for each group was calculated as 37. Considering the possibility of data loss, the sample size for each group was increased by 10%. As a result, it was planned to include 41 patients in each group and a total of 82 patients in the sample (Cohen, 1988; Faul, 2007). Only one parent from each family will be included in the study. Sample selection will be made using stratified randomization and random sampling methods. This method ensures homogeneous distribution between the groups. When creating the intervention and control groups, stratification will be made by targeting the age of the children and the educational status of the parents. The distribution of the parents to the intervention and control groups will be done randomly.

Intervention The training modules to be prepared by the researchers in line with current guidelines and literature will be sent via WhatsApp in the form of written text or audio recording. The training will last for 6 weeks and information will be provided about the content of the prepared training module every week and parents' questions will be answered. During the training, the "Fever Management Skills for Parents" guide, which will be created by the researchers after receiving expert opinion, will be given by the researchers in WhatsApp groups. This training module is planned to consist of 6 sub-modules (Definition and importance of fever, fever measurement, fever-reducing interventions, fluid intake and nutrition in children with fever, when to apply to a health institution, strategies to reduce fear of fever). Each module includes information on fever management for parents at home. The content of the training will be shared in groups as text and audio recordings. Each audio recording message will last approximately 5 to 10 minutes.

Data Collection The researchers will provide preliminary information about the study to the parents who agree to participate in the study and collect data after obtaining their digital consent. In the data collection process, pre-test and post-test data will be collected online.