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Tympanic temperature comparison with oral mercury thermometer readings in an OPD setting
Mohammad Zafar Rabbani1, Mohammed Amir, Munir Malik
1Department of ENT, Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad. zafrab@yahoo.com
Objective:
To observe and compare the Tympanic Temperature (TT) readings with the Oral Mercury Thermometer (OMT) in an OPD setting.
Study Design:
Observational comparative study.
Place And Duration Of Study:
The Outpatient Department, Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, from June to September 2008.
Methodology:
By consecutive sampling, 2000 OPD patients were included in the study. Both tympanic membrane and oral cavity temperatures were recorded in each patient. Patients were grouped into four age classes i.e. 5-16, 17-40, 41-60 and above 60 years. Taking the oral temperature as a standard, tympanic temperature recordings were analyzed in each age group for afebrile and febrile temperature ranges. An intra-class Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was calculated for closeness of correlation of TT with OMT in each group.
Results:
Mean age of the sample was 31.84+/-19.42 years. Mean temperature reading from the OMT was 36.732+/-0.66 degrees C, while the mean TT reading was 36.575+/-0.71 degrees C. Overall correlation between OMT and TT readings was 0.871 (p<0.001); higher correlation was found in children as compared to adults. In the febrile range, a strongly positive correlation of TT with OMT in the 5-16 years age group (r=0.945) was seen. A poor correlation of TT with OMT was noted for 41-60 and 60 plus groups (r=0.394 and 0.342 respectively). TT was found to have very high specificities in all age groups; highest of 100 in 17-40 years age group. The sensitivities were generally low, the lowest being 33.33 in 60 plus age group.
Conclusion:
TT measurement is a quick method for temperature recording in a busy OPD. However, it is reliable mainly for a younger population.
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