Effectiveness of Warm Water Foot-Bath Therapy on Physiological Parameters of Children with Fever at a Selected Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal

Abstract

A quasi-experimental study with non equivalent control group time series design was conducted on warm water foot-bath therapy on 30 children with fever in the pediatric unit at Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, by adopting non probability purposive sampling technique. The objectives of the study were to determine the effectiveness of warm water foot-bath therapy in terms of differences in physiological parameters of children with fever between experimental and control group. Physiological parameters were assessed before giving therapy, 15 and 25 min after therapy. Result showed an average reduction of physiological parameters, (i.e., axillary temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, blood pressure) after giving warm water foot bath therapy in experimental group but in control group physiological parameters are significantly increased. Independent ‘t’ value among the mean physiological parameters between experimental and control group at 2nd observation, (i.e., 6.2, 2.13, 2.21, 0.39, 0.43 p<0.05) and at 3rd observation the computed ‘t’ values (16.5,7.8,5.84,2.21,2.15 p<0.05) were significant after warm water foot- bath therapy. The researcher recommended further studies with large sample, also with other age group of children, wide range of axillary temperature, more number of observations, comparative study between warm water foot bath therapy and other types of hydrotherapy, comparative study between warm water foot bath therapy and use of antipyretics, effect of warm water foot bath therapy on other physiological parameter like oxygen saturation etc.