Comparison of Tympanic, Oral, and Axillary Temperatures in Women During Labor

摘要

The measurement of body temperature in women during labor is an essential aspect of care upon which many clinical decisions and interventions are based. Mouth breathing, sweating, and other physiological changes are inherent in the labor process may affect the accuracy of temperature measurement. The purpose of this study was to compare tympanic, oral and axillary temperatures in women during active labor to provide a baseline of information for temperature interpretation in the clinical setting. The convenience sample consisted of 30 afebrile women between the ages of 18 to 37 who had uncomplicated pregnancies and presented to this midwest military medical center in active labor.