Answer:

Yes. Rectal temperatures are the most accurate representation of core temperatures. Oral, axillary, and tympanic temperatures have considerable variation, and these methods are frequency used and often inaccurate. There is not a correction factor for these alternate modalities to provide a reliable assessment of the core temperature.

Reference: Loveys AA, Dutko-Fioravanti 1, Everly SW, et al: Comparison of ear to rectal temperature measurements in infants and toddlers. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 38:463-466, 1999

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 3rd, 2008 at 9:50 pm and is filed under Fever. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.