Comparative Study of Tepid Sponging Using Ya Khiao-Hom and Traditional Method for Reducing Body Temperatures on Pediatric Patients with Pneumonia and High Fever: A Retrospective Case-Cohort Study

Abstract

Fever and pneumonia caused by virus and bacterial infection are found among pediatric patients aged below 5 years. Antibiotic therapies are currently used to kill germs in the lungs to reduce a fever in children. However, it is found that it takes such a long time for medicines to get into infected lungs while fever is not getting reduced, resulting in seizure in small children. Lowering body temperature of children with high fever is an urgent matter that needs to be solved immediately. According to Thai traditional medicine, the use of Ya Khiao-Hom for wiping the body can bring down a fever in a short time, which is Thai traditional medicine wisdom that helps reduce a fever. This research aimed to compare body temperature reduced to 37.4 °C within 4 hours between pediatric patients with pneumonia and high fever who were wiped fever using Ya Khiao-Hom and who are wiped fever using traditional method. The study was conducted as therapeutic research using retrospective cohort study design, during November 2020 to February 2021 at Kapho Hospital. Retrospective data were collected from patients’ medical records. Inclusion criteria are pediatric patients aged below 5 years who were diagnosed with pneumonia, had a fever over 38 °C, and underwent treatment with antibiotics. Exclusion criteria are patients who were referred to other hospitals, patients who received two types or more of antibiotics. The research participants were wiped fever using traditional method or Ya Khiao-Hom, ordered by diagnosis physicians while they underwent the treatment. Correct tepid sponging was taught by nurses on duty in patient ward. The experimental group received 2 grams of Ya Khiao-Hom to 1 liter water and the control group received 1 liter water for tepid sponging. Body temperature at admission and every 4 hours was measured by a thermometer and recorded. The study revealed that among 34 patients in the study, general characteristics of patients who were wiped fever using both methods were not different. Temperature at 4 hours from the use of Ya Khiao-Hom and traditional method were 37.24 (±0.63) and 37.70 (±0.63), respectively, p-value 0.044, and body temperature was reduced by 0.53 (95% CI:-0.90,-0.17), p-value 0.005