Body temperature: mercury or infrared thermometer?
Section: Cover story
How to quote
de la Rubia de la Rubia JA, Fernández Vilar AN, Pérez Higuera C, Aguirre-Jaime A. Temperatura corporal: ¿termómetro de mercurio o de infrarrojos?. Metas de Enferm abr 2006; 9(3): 27-31
Authors
1Juan A de la Rubia de la Rubia, 2Ana Mª Fernández Vilar, 2Cristin Pérez Higuera, 3Armando Aguirre-Jaime
Position
1Enfermero. Profesor de Enfermería Médico-Quirúrgica de la Escuela de Enfermería Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.2Enfermera. Servicio de Urgencias. Hospital Nuestra Señora de Candelaria.3Matemático. Unidad de Investigación. Hospital Nuestra Señora de Candelaria.
Contact address
Escuela de Enfermería Ntra. Sra. de Candelaria. Ctra. del Rosario, s/n. 38010 Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Contact email: jarubia@canarias.org
Abstract
Objective: to determine which of the two -the tympanic or axillary mercury thermometer- is the most appropriate for the measurement of body temperature under the criteria that best benefits the patient to detect fever.
Material and method: a sample composed by a patient population from the Emergency Department of the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital was used. The predetermined size was 115 patients (90% power to detected differences of at least a 5% for bilateral testing with a level of ? statistical significance of 0,05), selected at random. The lineal dependence of the different readings between both methods to the average temperature was checked and discordances obtained (taking 38 degrees C as reference). A logistic regression model was adjusted for identifying the factors that had an influence on those discordances.
Results: the sample consisted of 126 emergency patients, 51% men, mean age 53 years (range: 5-88 years). There was dependence of the differences between readings to the mean temperature (D=4, 1ºC-0,1T, p<0,01). In 54% the infrared temperature was greater and in 40% it was less than that of mercury. Discordance: 12% (CI95%: 6%-18%).?=0.65 (p<0.01). In a 7% the thermometer used would be the ear thermometer and not the axillary thermometer and vice versa in 5%. Gender, age, serum therapy, or earwax did not have an influence on the discordances.
Conclusions: the readings converge at greater temperatures. An ear thermometer is recommended.
Keywords:
Body temperature; ear temperature; armpit temperature; validity; reliabilityfever
Versión en Español
Título:
Temperatura corporal: ¿termómetro de mercurio o de infrarrojos?
