Body Temperature

Temperature Measurement

How It Feels

Taking your temperature by mouth is only mildly uncomfortable, since you must keep your mouth closed and breathe through your nose while the thermometer is in place.

Taking a rectal temperature can be slightly uncomfortable but should not be painful.

Taking your temperature with an ear thermometer causes little or no discomfort. It is not inserted very far into the ear, and it provides a reading in only a few seconds. For this reason, the ear thermometer is widely used in health professional's offices and hospitals. However, it may be less accurate than rectal thermometers.

Taking your temperature with a plastic strip thermometer feels like having an adhesive bandage on your forehead. Although it causes very little discomfort, it is not as reliable as other methods, so another kind of thermometer should be used if the plastic strip shows an abnormal temperature.

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Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC	Last Updated: March 5, 2007
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Donald Sproule, MD, CM, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine
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