Tip #1: Taking a temperature with a temporal thermometer
- May 21, 2018
- 1 min read
Why is it that sometimes your child feels so warm but the temperature reading does not seem elevated? It could be that your temporal thermometer is not reaching the temporal artery. Where is the temporal artery?
A group of nursing students demonstrated the correct use of the temporal thermometer for our class one day. They explained that most people, even nurses, use the temporal thermometer by swiping across the forehead and finishing at the temple. They further explained that such a technique does not arrive at the temporal artery which runs behind the ear. (Shock!) To arrive at the temporal artery, the thermometer must land behind the ear at the lower edge.
My nurses recommended sliding the thermometer across the forehead and continue down and around to the back of the ear. This video shows a technique of lifting it off the skin and touching behind the ear. Try both techniques and see if you get matching readings. Let me know what happens!
Check out this video that demonstrate the correct technique of a temporal artery thermometer.
Video: Correct technique for using a temporal artery thermometer (TAT)
Comments