"Supralingual temperatures compared to tympanic and rectal temperatures" by Renea L. Beckstrand, Russ Wilshaw et al.
 

Supralingual temperatures compared to tympanic and rectal temperatures

Keywords

temperature, thermometer, tympanic thermometer, rectal thermometer

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of the PaciTemp[C] supralingual digital pacifier thermometer as compared to the Thermoscan Instant[C] tympanic and glass-mercury rectal thermometers. Method: Eighty-one children under the age of 2 years had temperatures taken sequentially at three body sites: supralingual, tympanic, and rectal. Corrections were calculated between the readings of the three types of thermometers. Percentage of agreement was done to examine sensitivity and specificity. Results: Using the glass-mercury measurement as the standard, both the supralingual and tympanic measurements showed an overall specificity of 62.8% and sensitivity of 63.3%. Correlation between rectal and supralingual was 0.62, and correlation between rectal and tympanic was 0.71. Conclusions: The Paci-Temp[C] provides temperature readings that are similar to the tympanic method as compared to the rectal method. Further research on at-home thermometers is needed.

Original Publication Citation

Beckstrand, R. L., Wilshaw, R., Moran S., & Schaalje, G. B. (1996). Supralingual oral temperatures compared to tympanic and rectal temperatures. Pediatric Nursing, 22(5), 436-438.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

1996-9

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/8026

Publisher

Pediatric Nursing

Language

English

College

Nursing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

Share

COinS