1 Determine the age of the person being measured
The first thing when using an ear thermometer is that you need to determine how old the person is being measured. Because each type of thermometer will be suitable for certain objects to bring the most accurate measurement results.
For infants should choose a rectal thermometer.
For newborns up to about 6 months old, you should choose a digital rectal thermometer for accurate measurements. Because if using an ear thermometer, it is very easy to cause ear infections for the baby, or unfavorable conditions (such as earwax and small, curved sleeves ) affect the measurement.
Alternatively, you can choose to use a forehead thermometer for your child.
For toddlers, an ear thermometer can be used.
When your child is 3 years old, the age when he starts to learn to walk, you can use an ear thermometer for your child when he has a fever, but be careful. Because it can cause ear infections in children.
Besides, you can use a rectal, armpit, or forehead thermometer to give more accurate temperature measurement results.
For children 3 years and older, choose any thermometer.
For children 3 years of age and older, you can choose any type to measure when having a fever. Specifically, when using an ear thermometer for children, you should clean the earwax before measuring. At the same time, pay attention to the placement of the thermometer so that accurate measurement results are obtained.
- If you have doubts about the results from the ear thermometer, use another thermometer you have, to take the baby’s temperature, and then compare the results!
2 Instructions on how to measure
After determining the age, especially for children, then you proceed to use an ear thermometer to measure the following:
Step 1: Clean the ears.
Earwax is one of the causes of measurement errors. Therefore, please clean your ears before measuring:
- The safest and most effective way to clean your ears is to put a few drops of oil: warm olive, almond oil, mineral oil, or ear drops, to soften the wax. Then, use earwax (avoid cotton swabs) to remove the wax. Finally, Make sure the ear is dry before measuring.
Step 2: Sterilize the thermometer probe.
You take the ear thermometer out of the box, read through the instructions for use (if available), and then use a cloth moistened with a little alcohol (or disinfecting paper) to clean the thermometer probe, to avoid infection.
Step 3: Pull the ear slightly outward and insert the thermometer tip.
For adult ears, you can easily insert the thermometer tip to conduct measurements. As for children, because the ear canal is small and slightly curved, you need to use one hand to slightly pull the earlobe out, then put the thermometer tip in to measure.
When placing the thermometer tip inside the ear canal, you need to keep a safe distance so that the tip of the thermometer does not need to reach deep inside the eardrum. Because the infrared signal from the thermometer can measure the temperature at that distance.
Step 4: Turn on the machine and read the measurement results.
When the thermometer has been gently inserted into the ear canal, turn on the device and hold it firmly until the thermometer signal is complete (beep), then take it out and read the reading.
3 How to view measurement results
How read the reading on the ear thermometer is very simple to determine how many degrees Celsius the body temperature is:
Step 1: Understand briefly the temperature of the body parts and the subject’s characteristics.
To determine whether or not the body temperature has a fever, you need to briefly understand the temperature in each measurement part of the body and the characteristics of the subject, what is normal and what is a mild fever, severe fever?
Such as:
- For adults, the normal average temperature under the tongue is 98.6 degrees F ( 37 degrees C ), and in the ear is often higher than 100 degrees F ( 37.8 degrees C ).
- In fact, for an adult, a normal body temperature ranges from 97.8 degrees Fahrenheit (36.6 degrees Celsius) to less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius).
In addition, normal body temperature varies depending on gender, activity level, food and beverage consumption, time of day, and menstrual phase (for women). So consider these factors if you are determining whether the person has a fever or not.
Step 2: Identify factors associated with fever.
In fact, the thermometer is also sometimes faulty and gives inaccurate measurement results. At this point, you can test multiple times or by using different thermometers to measure and then compare the measurement results.
At the same time, see if the person’s body shows any abnormal symptoms, such as sweating, headache, muscle pain, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, … or increased thirst.
Step 3: Decide whether to see a doctor or not.
As Dien May XANH shared, fever is a common sign of illness, even a mild fever is a sign that the body is infected but not so serious.
- For example, if your child’s ear temperature is 38 degrees Celsius, it is considered a fever, but if the child drinks a lot of water, is mentally comfortable, and sleeps normally, the temperature will decrease by itself because of the resistance in the body. the body will work to protect the body to a mild degree. However, if the temperature rises to 38.9 degrees Celsius, or higher, and is accompanied by symptoms such as unusual discomfort, malaise, fatigue, cough, etc., or moderate to severe diarrhea, see your doctor. See a doctor for timely treatment!
To lower your fever, your doctor may recommend acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) or ibuprofen (such as Advil, or Motrin). However, ibuprofen usually cannot be given to children before 6 months of age, and aspirin should not be given to anyone younger than 18 years of age because of the increased risk of Reye’s syndrome.
So, we have finished showing you how to use an ear thermometer safely and accurately!
