You should normally be getting reproducible results, or results within a few tenths of a degree of each other. However, a few things to know:
Multiple temperatures taken over the same area in rapid succession will ultimately cool the area causing differences.
If sweating, the temperature on the neck behind the ear lobe becomes the overriding temperature, and since this area is not quite as stable as the temporal artery, it can easily cooled be by the thermometer in taking multiple readings. Remember, the probe of thermometer will be at room temperature, and is about 30 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius) cooler than body temperature.
www.exergen.com
Tue Apr 28 2009
Why am I getting inconsistent results?
Wed Dec 30 2009Reply from howletrc
The thing to remember is that whether you are using temporal, tympanic, or oral, it is a screening temperature only, if there are any questions about whether or not the patient is febrile or you need a very accurate temperature due to conditions like hypothermia you take a true core (rectal).
For some reason over the years this has been forgotten and I see patient care staff relying on these "screening" temperatures.
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