Temperature

[snaketooth10k]

What? What? In the butt?

When would you use a rectal one? I certainly know no 1's stickin anything in their if im alert and orientedB)

You can only use a rectal or IR thermometer on infants. Keep that in mind because it is VERY BAD to take an oral on infants in most cases, mostly because they don't cooperate and it's hardly accurate.

 

[Ridryder911]

You can only use a rectal or IR thermometer on infants. Keep that in mind because it is VERY BAD to take an oral on infants in most cases, mostly because they don't cooperate and it's hardly accurate.

Who said you can only take rectal on infants? Better explain how you get a true "core temp"; as I do rectal temps on adults every day.

R/r 911

 

[mikeylikesit]

so I guess just putting your lips on the patients forhead is out then?^_^

 

[fma08]

we only have tympanics but i wish we at least had orals

 

[Ridryder911]

so I guess just putting your lips on the patients forhead is out then?^_^

Definitely, not checking a rectal by that means

 

[Raf]

We don't carry thermometers nor were we ever taught anything about specific temperatures. Just touch the forehead with the back of your gloved hand and decide cool, warm or hot, that's about as detailed as we get.

 

[Ridryder911]

We don't carry thermometers nor were we ever taught anything about specific temperatures. Just touch the forehead with the back of your gloved hand and decide cool, warm or hot, that's about as detailed as we get.

How sad.... You were not taught about vital signs...

R/r 911

 

[TheMowingMonk]

hell in my county BLS isnt even allowed to take temperatures, it is considered as ALS skill which is so stupid its not even funny.

 

[sabbymedic]

In Ottawa where I work Temp is one of the standard VS now. We carry tempanic thermometers but they are not always the most accurate. Especially in the cold and flu season we use them a lot, at least I do. Taking a temp is a good idea because it may be a helpful indicator that you need to use full PPE Mask, Gown, Gloves and Eyewear etc. Hope this helps.

Sabby

 

[mikeylikesit]

yeah taking temps is so hard that only medics and moms can do it.:glare:

 

[BossyCow]

Has anyone else had issues with the digital thermometers not functioning well in colder temps? That's why we always keep a good old fashioned glass thermometer in the kit.

 

[Ops Paramedic]

Remember that the most important difference between a Rectal and an Oral thermometer is: The taste!??!

On a more serious note, we dont carry them on the ambos. Selected ALS carry them, but they are not used routinely. We would mainly use them for kids with convulsions and drownings. Should i a temp, it will most likely be rectal as the reading is more accurate. We also carry Sub normal theremometers, specially for the drownings and hypothermic cases.

 

[mikeylikesit]

i wouldn't imagine that BLS trained personnel would know what to do in certain temp ranges without some A&P knowledge. some temps are good as they are the bodies way of fighting and beating bacteria and some virus. anything obove 105 F is cutting it, and they should be chilled. be careful cause you can quickly spin them in the other direction and make lessen the process of your bodies immune systems attempt at defeat.

 

[PapaBear434]

How sad.... You were not taught about vital signs...

R/r 911

I was taught the same way, though we do have inner ear thermometers so that if someone is extremely warm and we have time (no major life threats) we can get the stat to pass along to the ER.

But for standard documentation? Just warm, cool, dry, moist, pale, flush... That's really about it.

 

[Ridryder911]

I was taught the same way, though we do have inner ear thermometers so that if someone is extremely warm and we have time (no major life threats) we can get the stat to pass along to the ER.

But for standard documentation? Just warm, cool, dry, moist, pale, flush... That's really about it.

Just unfortunate one has to say they were not taught how to take and record vital signs, the basics of life.

R/r 911

 

[sabbymedic]

Not sure how one goes through a medic program and does not learn how to record vitals. I learnt that in the first few weeks of my program. The usual about touching the skin to see if it is cool warm wet dry etc. are basics. Taking an actual temp is a big one that has come out ever since SARS that is why the Ministry of Health has made it one of the regular vital signs that need to be recorded.

 

[PapaBear434]

Just unfortunate one has to say they were not taught how to take and record vital signs, the basics of life.

R/r 911

That's just it: Temperature isn't considered a vital for BLS. We deal in immediate and obvious life threats. Are they abnormally hot or cold? That's good enough for our purposes. Anything more involved is going to need an ALS intervention to fix anyway.

 

[BossyCow]

That's just it: Temperature isn't considered a vital for BLS. We deal in immediate and obvious life threats. Are they abnormally hot or cold? That's good enough for our purposes. Anything more involved is going to need an ALS intervention to fix anyway.

What??? Actually temperature is a vital sign and an important one and yes we can do something about it.

If someone has a lowered core temp due to exposure, you know, the little old lady who fell and lay on her cold tile bathroom floor for hours in a puddle of urine... I'd sure like to have a temp on her because she may or may not be coherent enough to tell me how cold she is. And yes the number does matter, because "I feel warmer now" isn't nearly as effective as "her initial temp was .... and now she's ......"

Having an initial temp to give the ER on your feverish pt is nice as a comparison. Is the fever rising, stable, decreasing? Good information to have. Just because the pt may need ALS intervention is no excuse for not doing a thorough evaluation and doing it well. Part of our job is to note and record trends, and changes in our pts condition. Baseline vitals are part of that. ALS or not, and temp is a vital sign.

 

[JPINFV]

That's just it: Temperature isn't considered a vital for BLS. We deal in immediate and obvious life threats. Are they abnormally hot or cold? That's good enough for our purposes. Anything more involved is going to need an ALS intervention to fix anyway.

Why take a blood pressure? There are people whose normal BP is what is considered hypotensive, but they don't need to be rushed to the hospital. Furthermore, we can't do anything for a low BP besides call ALS and transport.

Why look at pupils? Regardless of what is going on, we can't do anything for it besides ALS and transport.

Why listen to breath sounds? We can't do anything for it if it's bad anyways.

Hell, why even have BLS providers do an exam anyways?. It's going to be call ALS, immediate transport, and high flow oxygen (regardless of if they need oxygen or not) if it's anything even moderately serious.

The "Well, by gosh. Gee wiz, we can't do anything about it anyways" is a lazy answer. I'd much rather have an actual number than a hunch based on the hairs on the back of my gloved hand.

 

[laina66]

:unsure:We actually switched back to our old thermometer---the fancy one is too touchy. The normal reading thermometer works perfectly fine so why bother?