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Published on: March 14, 2013
Comparison of temporal artery and axillary temperatures in healthy newborns
Lisa Haddad1, Sarah Smith, Kenneth D Phillips
1Department of Patient Services, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA. lhaddad@utmck.edu
Objective:
To compare temperature readings of temporal artery and axillary thermometers in healthy late preterm and term infants in an effort to standardize practice.
Design:
Descriptive comparative.
Setting:
Thirty-bed, healthy mother/baby unit in an inner-city Level-1 trauma center, averaging 2,500 births per year.
Participants:
Healthy newborns (N = 125) admitted to mother/baby unit after birth, at least 35 weeks gestation, and weighing greater than 1,900 grams.
Methods:
Temperatures were taken at regular intervals per unit protocol. At each interval temporal and axillary temperatures were recorded.
Results:
Temporal temperatures were significantly higher (M = 36.9°C, SD = .59) than axillary temperatures (M = 36.7°C, SD = .68), t(124) = 6.74, p < .0001. Although statistical significance was shown between the two groups, no meaningful clinical difference was detected.
Conclusion:
Our study findings supported a new nursing practice standard for measuring infant temperatures in our mother/baby unit. Using temporal artery thermometers is now our unit's standard of care for healthy newborns.
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