patient prep vitals

Oral Temperature Measurement

An oral temperature measures body heat under the tongue and is one of the standard vital signs at intake.

11 steps3 criticalLimit 3 minAlways tested

Steps

1Perform hand hygiene, introduce yourself, and identify the patient (for example by name and date of birth)
2Critical stepProvide privacy and explain the procedure to the patient
3Ask about recent hot or cold food or drink, gum or smoking; wait about 15 to 25 minutes after hot or cold food or drink, or about 5 minutes after gum or smoking (or use another route)
4Critical stepRemove the probe from the device and slide on a probe cover without touching the cover with your hands
5Place the probe under the tongue at either side of the base of the tongue, in the posterior sublingual pocket
6Critical stepInstruct the patient to keep the mouth closed and not to bite on the thermometer
7Leave the probe in place as long as the device manufacturer indicates, usually until it beeps
8Read the digital display
9Discard the probe cover in the trash without touching the cover, and place the probe back in the device
10Check that the patient is comfortable and perform hand hygiene
11Document the temperature and the route used, and report abnormal findings (for example a fever above 100.4 F or 38 C) per facility policy

Tips

Hot or cold food or drink, chewing gum, or smoking just before the reading can give a falsely high or low oral temperature, so ask first
Normal temperature varies by route (oral is roughly 96 to 99 F; axillary can be a degree or more lower), so always chart the route used
Notify the nurse or provider about a temperature above 38 C (100.4 F), which indicates a fever

Reading right after a hot or cold drink, gum or smoking and charting it as the true temperature.
Placing the probe at the front of the mouth instead of under the tongue toward the back.
Taking the probe out before the device signals.
Handling the used probe cover with bare fingers.

Practice this skill

Practise the sequence in the app with critical-step highlighting and a rationale for each step.

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Sources and how we check them: How we verify.