TEMPERATURE CHECK Flashcards
Why is accurate measurement vital?
Will inform the career about the patients care and treatment, it will influence decisions regarding their holistic care and assessment
What is temperature an indicator of?
Deterioration
Which body sites are used for temperature measurement?
Oral (mouth)
Axillary (armpit)
Rectal (via anus)
Temporal (forehead)
Tympanic (ear)
Why should the same method be used each time to measure the patients temperature?
Allow comparison between recordings
How does a tympanic thermometer work?
Infrared ray to measure body temp inside the ear canal
Tympanic membrane and hypothalamus share an arterial blood supply which originates from the carotid artery
That reflects the body’s core temp
Norman body core temperature?
36 degrees Celsius to 37.5 degrees Celsius
Why is a normal body core temperature required?
Maintain normal metabolic activity
Which factors can cause variations in body temperature?
Age
Gender
Exercise
Time of the day
What is pyrexia?
Pyrexia is a fever
Rise in body temperature above the normal range
Body raises its thermoregulatory point to fight infection
Clinical sign of pyrexia
Shivering
What is classed as moderate to high grade pyrexia?
38 to 40 degrees Celsius
What is classed as a low grade pyrexia
Temperature up to 38 degrees Celsius
Body’s response to drop in temperature?
Short term responses:
Shivering (creates heat from muscle movement)
Vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels help retain heat in the body)
Body’s response to temperature increase?
Vasodilation, blood vessels dilate allowing heat loss through the skin
Sweating cools he body via water evaporation
Body loses heat via convection conduction radiation and water evaporation
When should you not use a tympanic thermometer?
If the patient has ear ache, wax build up or ear discharge
