Those with fevers often feel too ill to hold a thermometer in their mouths, and if they suffer from an earache, an ear thermometer may not be tolerated. Your option: use a temporal thermometer. These use the surface temperature of the artery on the forehead to determine the presence of a fever. The temperature of the forehead (temporal) artery does not change if the person eats or drinks and it more closely reflects true body temperature than oral, armpit (axillary) or ear thermometers. Proper use of your temporal thermometer ensures you get the most accurate results.
Remove the cover from the tip of the thermometer and wipe the end with an alcohol wipe to clean it.
Press the button on the temporal thermometer and hold it while you slide the thermometer straight across the forehead in a line parallel to the eyebrows, halfway between the bottom of the bangs or hairline and the eyebrows. Listen for a beeping sound and look for a red light to signal that the thermometer registers a temperature.
Keep the button pressed and place the tip of the thermometer just behind the earlobe, against the neck. Do this after scanning the forehead if you notice sweat on the brow which could skew the forehead temperature reading.
Release the button and read the temperature on the digital display. Temperatures above 98.6 F indicate a fever.
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