Medical research hasn't determined an exact correlation between oral, rectal, ear, armpit, and forehead temperature measurements. Generally, the correlation of temperature results are as follows:. When you talk with your doctor about your temperature, be sure to say what method was used to take the temperature. The temperature comparison table below will give you the range of temperature correlation with the different methods used to take a temperature.
For information about taking accurate temperatures in infants and children, see the topic Body Temperature.
Blahd Jr. Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: William H. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. The information may also include how the results of the device correlate with the results from other methods of taking a temperature. Plastic strip thermometers have some uses, but they aren't recommended for general home use. Unlike oral, rectal, and ear thermometers, plastic strip thermometers measure skin temperature, not body temperature.
Temperature comparison table The temperature comparison table below will give you the range of temperature correlation with the different methods used to take a temperature. To use the table: Find the method that you used to take a temperature. Find the correct temperature range. Look for the temperature range of the other methods that correlates to the method you used. Remember, a child has a fever when his or her temperature is Credits Current as of: February 26, Top of the page Next Section: Related Information.
There is a common misconception that patients with sepsis will always present with a pyrexia. Children due to their immature regulatory systems and older people due to their altered thermoregulatory mechanisms are at risk of developing hypothermia.
Sometimes hypothermia may be induced during certain types of cardiac surgery when it is used to protect the brain from periods of low blood flow. Targeted temperature management formerly called therapeutic hypothermia used post cardiopulmonary arrest, when the patient remains in a coma to protect the brain from low blood flow, is becoming increasingly common Nolan et al, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that adult patients in acute hospitals should have physiological observations, including body temperature, recorded at initial assessment or admission and then subsequently monitored at least every 12 hours, unless a decision has been made at a senior level to increase or decrease the frequency of monitoring.
Forehead chemical thermometers are unreliable and should not be used by health professionals NICE, The same site should be used for consecutive temperature measurements and documented, as switching between sites can produce readings that are difficult to interpret Jevon and Joshi, The tympanic membrane shares the same carotid blood supply as the hypothalamus: measurement of tympanic membrane temperature and, therefore, reflects core temperature Jevon and Joshi, Care should be taken when using the tympanic thermometer as poor technique can render the measurement inaccurate.
Temperature differences between the opening of the ear canal and the tympanic membrane can be as much as 2. To ensure accurate temperature measurements, the tympanic thermometer probe should be positioned to fit snugly in the ear canal. This will prevent ambient air at the opening of the ear canal from entering it, resulting in a false low temperature measurement.
Arslan et al found that readings using a tympanic thermometer in patients who had been lying on one ear were significantly higher in that ear than in the exposed ear.
The study involved 68 healthy young people who had no signs of discharge or infection of the ear or upper respiratory tract infection. Dougherty and Lister suggest that patients should not lie on their side for 20 minutes before their temperature is measured using a tympanic thermometer.
Discard the probe cover in the garbage without touching the cover and place the device back into the holder. See Figure 2. The technique of pulling the helix up and back adult or the lobe down child under 3 is used to straighten the ear canal so the light can reflect on the tympanic membrane. If this is not correctly done, the reading may not be accurate.
The probe tip is gently inserted into the opening to prevent damage to the ear canal. The ear canal is a sensitive and a highly innervated part of the body, so it is important not to force the tympanic probe into the ear. The tympanic temperature method is a quick and minimally invasive way to take temperature.
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