Journal of Tropical Pediatrics Advance Access published online on April 24, 2009
Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, doi:10.1093/tropej/fmp027
Brief Report |
Comparison of the Use of Liquid Crystal Thermometers with Glass Mercury Thermometers in Febrile Children in a Children's Ward at Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua New Guinea
a Paediatric Department, Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua New Guinea
b Discipline of Child Health, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea
c Medical Education Unit, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea
Correspondence: J. Vince, Division of Clinical Sciences, PO Box 5623, Boroko, Papua New Guinea. E-mail <johndvince{at}gmail.com>.
| Abstract |
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We compared the temperatures recorded, in febrile children admitted to a children's ward at Port Moresby General Hospital, by a doctor and by a group of nurses using glass mercury thermometers (GMT) and liquid crystal thermometers (LCT, NextempR and TraxitR). The mean difference (with 95% confidence intervals) in temperatures between GMT and NextempR were –0.12°C (–0.16°C to –0.08°C) for the doctor and 0.12°C (0.04–0.20°C) for nurses. The mean difference in temperatures between GMT and TraxitR were –0.05°C (–0.09°C to –0.01°C) for the doctor and 0.19°C (0.10–0.28°C) for the nurses. A similar result was obtained when one of the NextempR thermometers used in the initial study was compared with GMT on a small sample of patients by the doctor 8 months later. Limited evaluation showed nursing staff were in favour of using the LCTs. NextempR and TraxitR thermometers can be used interchangeably with GMT in this setting.