Accuracy of tympanic temperature readings in children under 6 years of age. Pediatric Nursing, 25 (1), 39-42. When treating the pediatric population, obtaining an accurate core body temperature is essential for effective care. Numerous studies have shown that core readings are the most accurate for determining true body temperature. Recently, however, the use of tympanic devices for obtaining accurate core temperatures in children under the age of 6 has come under scrutiny. The purpose of this study was to evaluate any variations between temperature readings obtained rectally and those obtained with a tympanic thermometer in children under 6 years of age.
The study was conducted in the ER of a regional hospital. To ensure consistency, all readings were obtained from one of eight emergency room nurses who received instruction on the manufacturer recommendations for proper use. The sample size consisted of 178 patients, yielding 241 sets of temperature readings. The results showed significant variations between the readings with a mean difference of -0. 60 C. As many as 20 out of every 100 children with a fever were not identified using the tympanic thermometer.
It was found that as the age of the child decreased, difference between rectal and tympanic readings increased. These findings are of utmost relevance and importance. Properly identifying febrile states in children is vital for therapeutic treatment, especially in an emergency situation. Health care team members must be reassured that they are working from accurate data.
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The use of incorrect data obtained from faulty medical equipment could have devastating consequences in the outcome of patient care. All health care team members, especially nurses, must be aware of research findings such as these to ensure the patient receives maximal beneficence from all aspects of their care. Hopefully, by distributing the findings that rectal temperatures are more reliable than tympanic readings in children under 6 will led to improved care and remove the possibility of non-therapeutic treatment due to false information.
