Background:

Body temperature is one of the most evaluated vital signs in pediatric health care for clinical assessment and guidance.

Objectives:

To evaluate the agreement between axillary and tympanic thermometry in children aged 6 to 36 months.

Methodology:

An observational and descriptive study was carried out in a level II hospital in Portugal. The thermometry protocol followed the guidelines of the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health.

Results:

A total of 331 children participated in the study. The difference between tympanic and axillary temperatures ranged from 0.00ºC to 1.40ºC, with a mean of 0.45ºC ± 0.30ºC and a median of 0.50ºC, an almost perfect agreement between both methods. An effect on the temperature value was observed according to the technique used in all variables studied.

Conclusion:

There is an almost perfect agreement between these two thermometry methods, not influencing clinical decision-making. Advantages of the tympanic method over the traditional axillary method include easy implementation and feasibility. Therefore, it can be routinely implemented in assessing temperature in children aged 6 to 36 months.

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