Taking Temperatures

Question 1

What are contraindications for oral, rectal axillary, tympanic, temporal artery/skin methods?

Answer 1

Oral—Oral surgery or trauma, history of epilepsy, shaking, chills, age (infants and small children), confusion, unconsciousness, and uncooperativeness.
Rectal—Diarrhea, rectal surgery or disorders, bleeding tendencies, and routine vital signs in newborns. If the thermometer cannot be adequately inserted into the rectum, or if you feel resistance during insertion, remove the thermometer and try using an alternative route to measure the patient’s temperature.
Axillary—Age (infants and small children) and axillary lesions.
Tympanic—Cerumen in ear canal, tympanic membrane or other ear surgery, exceptionally young age (infants and children younger than 3 years of age).
Temporal artery/skin—Allergy to adhesive.