Routine assessment of temperature in healthy newborns: lack of evidence for its clinical utility.

摘要

Temperature is routinely measured in healthy new-borns, with little evidence of its utility. One textbook discusses hypothermia and hyperther-mia; 2 others do not. Prominent guidelines recommend recording temperature every 30 minutes until the new-born's condition has remained stable for 2 hours and then observing the infant for signs of illness, including temperature instability; however, instability is not defined in these guidelines. This quality improvement study was designed to provide preliminary data about this issue.