Temperature recording sites in infants, children, and adults

Abstract EN

Background : axilla, mouth, and rectum are the most common sites for thermometric measurement.

There is no universally accepted belief about how to predict one of them from others.

Methods : In a cross-sectional hospital-based study at two educational hospitals in Qazvin Province, mercury in glass thermometers were used and then calibrated with digital thermometer within ± 0.1 0C.

The axillary temperature was compared with oral or rectal ones in 50 infants, 100 children, and 100 adults.

Results : the mean difference between axillary and rectal temperature in infants was 0.366 0C (± 0.21), whilethose between oral and axillary in children and adults were 0.667 0C (± 0.37) and 0.4940C (± 0.3), respectively.

Among infants, 98 % of the oral and rectal readings were stabilized at 5 and 3 minutes, respectively.

In children, 98 % of the oral readings were stabilized at five but for axilla, 99 % by 6 minutes.

For adults, 95 % of the oral readings were stabilized at 5 minutes while for axilla; it was 96 % by 6 minutes.

Conclusion : in less than 3 month old infants, axillary temperature accurately reflects the rectal temperature.

Axillary and rectal thermometry in infants should be read after 5 and 3 minutes, while oral temperature in children and adults should be read after 6 and 5 minutes, respectively.