Taking temperature

Measuring an individual's body temperature is a crucial component in the surveillance and control of disease. Variations in body temperature can serve as a valuable gauge for assessing an individual's health status and aid in tracking the development or alleviation of illnesses.

A core body temperature can only be measured using invasive techniques. Less invasive means of temperature measurement provide a reasonable estimation of the core temperature of an individual (McCallum and Higgins, 2012) if they are undertaken properly.

While there is some variation between the literature, it is widely recognised that the normal body temperature for an adult human lies in the region of 36.5–37.5°C (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2016). The main reasons for taking a patient’s temperature include:

• establishing a baseline prior to surgery or other treatment
• monitoring for and identifying early signs of infection
• monitoring the effects of treatments, such as antibiotics
• monitoring the

It is important that the nurse is alert to the different processes and practice involved in the monitoring of temperatures in different groups of individuals, for example children and adolescents (Royal College of Nursing, 2017) or older people. The choice of site for temperature recording and the type of thermometer to be used will vary according to the characteristics of the person whose temperature needs recording, the reasons for the recording and the availability of equipment.

In general, the tympanic (ear) site is preferred as being the most representative of the patient’s core temperature (Robertson and Hill, 2019). The forehead is often used as it is a non-touch procedure – although the accuracy of this method remains in question (Mekjavic and Tipton, 2021).

There are several body sites used for taking a person’s temperature, these include:

• oral
• axillary
• rectal
• tympanic (aural)
• temporal

Different sites of recording require the use of different type of thermometer all of which the nurse should be familiar with. Different types of thermometers applied to different parts of the body will produce different temperature readings, of up to 2

The equipment required will depend on the type of thermometer to be used, whether the thermometer is single patient use and the means used for recording the result of the temperature taken. Equipment may include:

• the thermometer
• a means of cleaning/disinfecting the thermometer (where needed)
• thermometer sheathing (eg for tympanic or electric oral thermometers) where needed
• the patient’s record

The nurse should ensure they gain consent before taking a temperature by whatever means by explaining to the patient the nature of the procedure as well as why it is being undertaken. Nurses should observe hand hygiene procedures prior to taking a temperature to prevent the transmission of infection.

The patient should be rested and comfortable and the nurse must attend to any privacy and dignity issues associated with the procedure. The nurse should observe the patient for any signs that they may be hot or cold, such as sweating, facial colour, shivering (Myatt, 2021) as these may add validity to, or raise questions about, the temperature as indicated by the thermometer.