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Supralingual temperatures compared to tympanic and rectal temperatures
R L Beckstrand1, R Wilshaw, S Moran
1Brigham Young University College of Nursing in Provo, UT, USA. renea_beckstrand@byu.edu
Insights
The Paci-Temp digital pacifier thermometer shows similar temperature readings to ear thermometers when compared to rectal measurements. Further research is needed for at-home thermometers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Medical Devices
- Thermometry
Background:
- Accurate temperature measurement in infants is crucial for timely diagnosis and treatment.
- Existing non-invasive thermometers have varying degrees of accuracy.
- The Paci-Temp digital pacifier thermometer offers a novel approach to infant temperature monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of the Paci-Temp supralingual digital pacifier thermometer.
- To compare Paci-Temp readings against established tympanic (Thermoscan Instant) and rectal (glass-mercury) thermometers.
Main Methods:
- Eighty-one children under 2 years old participated in the study.
- Temperatures were sequentially measured at supralingual, tympanic, and rectal sites.
- Agreement percentages were calculated to determine sensitivity and specificity, with corrections applied between readings.
Main Results:
- Compared to rectal glass-mercury thermometers, both supralingual (Paci-Temp) and tympanic measurements exhibited a specificity of 62.8% and sensitivity of 63.3%.
- Correlation coefficients were 0.62 between rectal and supralingual readings, and 0.71 between rectal and tympanic readings.
Conclusions:
- The Paci-Temp digital pacifier thermometer demonstrates comparable temperature readings to the tympanic method when contrasted with the rectal method.
- Further investigation into the performance and reliability of at-home thermometers is warranted.
Objective:
To evaluate the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of the PaciTemp supralingual digital pacifier thermometer as compared to the Thermoscan Instant tympanic and glass-mercury rectal thermometers.
Method:
Eighty-one children under the age of 2 years had temperatures taken sequentially at three body sites: supralingual, tympanic, and rectal. Corrections were calculated between the readings of the three types of thermometers. Percentage of agreement was done to examine sensitivity and specificity.
Results:
Using the glass-mercury measurement as the standard, both the supralingual and tympanic measurements showed an overall specificity of 62.8% and sensitivity of 63.3%. Correlation between rectal and supralingual was 0.62, and correlation between rectal and tympanic was 0.71.
Conclusions:
The Paci-Temp provides temperature readings that are similar to the tympanic method as compared to the rectal method. Further research on at-home thermometers is needed.