Which of the following statements regarding different temperature sites is correct?

Which of the following statements regarding different temperature sites is correct?

• A. Rectal temperatures are the least accurate.
• B. Oral thermometers can be used on unconscious residents.
• C. Rectal thermometers are always glass thermometers.
• D. Tympanic thermometers take a faster temperature reading than oral thermometers.

Answer: (D)

Temperature sites differ in how quickly you can get a reading and how easy they are to use in different patients. A tympanic thermometer uses infrared sensing through the ear to measure temperature, so you usually get a reading in seconds. That makes it faster than an oral thermometer, which requires the patient to keep the mouth closed and the probe to settle for a stable value, often taking longer and being impractical if the patient is unconscious or uncooperative. Rectal temperatures are generally accurate for core temperature, but the method is more invasive and not as quick as tympanic readings, and digital versions are now common rather than glass. So the statement that tympanic thermometers take a faster temperature reading than oral thermometers is correct.

Temperature sites differ in how quickly you can get a reading and how easy they are to use in different patients. A tympanic thermometer uses infrared sensing through the ear to measure temperature, so you usually get a reading in seconds. That makes it faster than an oral thermometer, which requires the patient to keep the mouth closed and the probe to settle for a stable value, often taking longer and being impractical if the patient is unconscious or uncooperative. Rectal temperatures are generally accurate for core temperature, but the method is more invasive and not as quick as tympanic readings, and digital versions are now common rather than glass. So the statement that tympanic thermometers take a faster temperature reading than oral thermometers is correct.