This article explains the importance of temperature regulation and compares methods of its measurement. But its important to know that a reading taken at one of the three sites mentioned above doesnt actually tell you a persons core body temperature.
Uc San Diego S Practical Guide To Clinical Medicine
How do you measure a patient s temperature. The primary goal of taking a measurement is to obtain an estimate of a patients core body temperature. This is usually a period of about four to six hours before taking another dose check your temperature or your childs to see if medicine is really needed. Both axillary and tympanic routes measure temperatures lower than true core body temperature. Instead it represents a number you can compare to an average. However if the first temperature is very high you might decide to. An individual persons temperature may actually be 1f 06c or more above or below 986 f.
6 in our study of 10 patients we compared their tympanic measurements with oral digital thermometer measurements which revealed a difference of 08 c or greater in 58 of measurements. You can often still tell if you have a high temperature even if you do not have a thermometer. Mccallum l higgins d 2012 measuring body temperature. Further learning resources can be accessed from. Touch your chest and back. Touching your forehead is not a very accurate way of.
If you do there is usually a period of time on the instructions about when it is safe to take the medicine again. Microlife mt 850 high precision and comfort in only 8 seconds. The normal axillary temperature range is approximately between 347 c and 373 c. A lesson for all health and care workers in measuring the temperature of a patient. Louise mccallum is lecturer the university of. A review on tympanic temperature readings showed they varied from brain temperature readings by an average of 09 c but the variability could be significantup to 25 c in some patients.
In adult patients the temperature of an axillary measurement is lower than a rectal measurement up to 19 c. If the patient has been exposed to cold conditions allow for adequate time for patient to equilibrate to room temperature before measuring body temperature. What most people think of a normal body temperature which is an oral temperature of 986f is an average of normal body temperatures in a large population of people. You may also have other symptoms such as feeling shivery chills. Inaccurate results may influence diagnosis and treatment lead to a failure to identify patient deterioration and compromise patient safety. There are many methods to measure body temperature.
If you do not have a thermometer. Mccallum l higgins d 2012 measuring body temperature. If they feel hotter than usual you may have a high temperature.
Gallery of How Do You Measure A Patient S Temperature
