Your child appears flushed and you wonder if she has a temperature. Putting your hand on her forehead you get a quick read that her skin feels hot. In the bathroom, you have an assortment of mercury thermometers, forehead strips and a temporal artery type. So which thermometer should you use?
Mercury thermometers are the most traditional method for measuring temperature. Rectal thermometers are the most accurate but are typically only used on infants or small children. They will show the body temperature as being up to a degree higher than other methods because they measure core body temperature.
Oral mercury thermometers must stay in place under the tongue for a full five minutes in order to get an accurate reading. Some people check a temperature by using a mercury thermometer under the arm but this is not a reliable way to take a temperature especially on a squirming child. All mercury thermometers risk breakage making them a less popular way to check body temperature.
Skin thermometers are popular because they are quick, inexpensive and easy to use. There are two types of skin thermometers: forehead strips or temporal artery. Forehead strips are a quick way to get a ballpark idea of a child’s temperature. They work by allowing the skin temperature to heat the liquid crystals in the strip. The color change is correlated to a different numbered temperature on the strip. If the strip temperature is elevated, it is best to recheck it with a mercury thermometer.
Temporal artery thermometers are more accurate but more expensive. They cost about $30 to $150 dollars and can be purchased a drug stores or online. Temporal artery thermometers have a metallic head that is rolled across the forehead to read the temperature using infrared light.
Temporal artery thermometer are also temperature sensitive themselves which can affect accuracy. The devices must be used at room temperature and can be affected by other light heat sources close to the person whose temperature is being measured. If the person has been sweating, the temperature reading can be affected as evaporation of sweat cools the skin giving a false low reading.
In searching the web, some studies that indicate that temporal artery thermometers are fairly accurate and others report that they are less so. One maker of a temporal artery thermometer claimed that an independent study showed that compared against tympanic methods their device is more accurate.
At the same time, two mothers reported to KFVS news that they found the temporal artery thermometers from the above maker had varying results when they would recheck the temperature of their children minutes later. Though it could be blamed on “operator-error”, if these moms were not getting consistent results, there is no reason to think other parents would be any more capable.
These days there are a variety of methods to check one’s temperature. Skin thermometers are certainly more convenient but it is always best to recheck with an oral or rectal thermometer if there is any doubt.
Sources:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/forehead-thermometer-accuracy.html
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/90410.php
http://www.kfvs12.com/global/story.asp?s=12382691
Michele is an R.N. freelance writer with a special interest in woman’s healthcare and quality of care issues. Other articles by Michele are at www.helium.com/users/487540/show_articles