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Related Concept Videos

Assessing Body Temperature - Rectal01:27

Assessing Body Temperature - Rectal

12.8K
Rectal temperature measurement is considered the most precise method for assessing core body temperature and typically registers higher than oral temperature. For adults, the rectal thermometer should be inserted 1 to 1.5 inches into the rectum to obtain the most accurate reading.
Follow these steps for rectal temperature assessment:
Step 1: Perform hand hygiene and don clean gloves to prevent cross-infection.
Step 2: Position the patient in a side-lying position to better visualize the rectal...
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Temperature Measurement Sites01:14

Temperature Measurement Sites

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A thermometer measures body temperature. The common sites for measuring body temperature are the oral cavity, axillary region, temporal artery, and skin surface, such as the forehead, abdomen, and axilla. True core body temperature is assessed in the rectum, tympanic membrane, pulmonary artery, esophagus, and urinary bladder.
Oral: When assessing oral temperature, the thermometer tip should be placed under the tongue in the posterior sublingual pocket. It offers accurate readings and can be...
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Equipments Used to Measure Body Temperature01:13

Equipments Used to Measure Body Temperature

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Body temperature can be assessed using various devices and measured in Celsius or Fahrenheit.
Glass-bulb Thermometer:
Glass-bulb thermometers are hollow glass tubes with a bulb tip containing liquid such as ethanol or mercury. Historically, glass bulb mercury thermometers were the standard device to measure body temperature. Today, mercury thermometers are prohibited in many countries due to the hazardous effects of mercury and the risk of exposure if the glass bulb breaks. In general,...
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Measurement: Standard Units03:38

Measurement: Standard Units

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Every measurement provides three kinds of information: the size or magnitude of the measurement (a number), a standard of comparison for the measurement (a unit), and an indication of the uncertainty of the measurement. While the number and unit are explicitly represented when a quantity is written, the uncertainty is an aspect of the errors in the measurement results.
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Measurement: Derived Units03:02

Measurement: Derived Units

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The International System of Units or SI system, by international agreement, has fixed measurement units for seven fundamental properties: length, mass, time, temperature, electric current, amount of substance, and luminosity. These are called the SI base units.
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Purposive Learning01:22

Purposive Learning

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E. C. Tolman emphasized the purposiveness of behavior — the idea that much of our behavior is goal-directed. For instance, employees who aim for a promotion work diligently to meet their targets. Tolman argued that when classical conditioning and operant conditioning occur, the organism acquires certain expectations. In classical conditioning, a child might fear a dog because they expect it to bite. In operant conditioning, a person might consistently work overtime because they expect a...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Preparation of Pancreatic Acinar Cells for the Purpose of Calcium Imaging, Cell Injury Measurements, and Adenoviral Infection
10:39

Preparation of Pancreatic Acinar Cells for the Purpose of Calcium Imaging, Cell Injury Measurements, and Adenoviral Infection

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Forehead or ear temperature measurement cannot replace rectal measurements, except for screening purposes.

Christian Backer Mogensen1, Lena Wittenhoff2, Gitte Fruerhøj2

  • 1University of Southern Denmark, Institute for Regional Health Research, Kresten Philipsensvej 15, 6200, Aabenraa, Denmark. Christian.Backer.Mogensen@rsyd.dk.

BMC Pediatrics
|January 28, 2018
PubMed
Summary

Ear temperature measurements are a reliable screening tool for fever in children aged 6 months to 5 years, outperforming forehead thermometers. However, rectal temperature remains the gold standard for precise measurements.

Keywords:
Ear temperatureEmergency carePediatricRectal temperatureTemperature measurementTemporal temperatureTympanic temperature

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Area of Science:

  • Pediatric medicine
  • Clinical thermometry
  • Diagnostic accuracy

Background:

  • Rectal temperature measurement is the gold standard for children but is invasive.
  • Non-invasive methods like ear and forehead thermometers offer less trauma and faster readings.
  • Concerns exist regarding the reliability of non-invasive thermometers compared to rectal measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate forehead and ear temperature measurements for fever screening in children.
  • To assess the agreement between non-invasive and rectal temperatures across different age groups.
  • To determine clinical acceptability of non-invasive methods for fever detection.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional clinical study involving 995 children aged 0-18 years.
  • Comparison of tympanic (ear) and temporal (forehead) temperatures against rectal temperature.
  • Fever defined as rectal temperature ≥38.0°C.

Main Results:

  • Ear thermometers showed significantly better fever detection ability (AUC 0.972) than forehead thermometers (AUC 0.931).
  • Both methods had lower sensitivity in the youngest and oldest children.
  • Ear thermometers achieved >90% sensitivity in children aged 0.5-5 years, with acceptable agreement (±1.07°C).

Conclusions:

  • Forehead temperature measurement is not currently recommended for fever screening in children.
  • Ear temperature measurement is a useful screening tool, particularly for children aged 6 months to 5 years.
  • Rectal thermometry remains the recommended method for accurate temperature measurement in children.