Pediatric nursing
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Infrared tympanic thermometry (ITT) is increasingly used as a convenient, noninvasive assessment method for febrile children. However, the accuracy of ITT for children has been questioned, particularly in relation to specificity and sensitivity. This study was designed to (a) determine the correlation and extent of agreement between rectal temperature (RT) readings obtained by electronic thermometer and ear-based temperature readings obtained by ITT, and (b) determine the accuracy of detecting fever in children under 6 years of age. ⋯ Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value are unacceptably low and the number of children with fever who would be missed by screening with a tympanic thermometer is unacceptable. Findings of this study do not support the use of tympanic thermometers to detect fever in children under 6 years of age.
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This study examined children's and adolescents' perceptions of the descriptors hurt, ache, and pain. Nonhospitalized subjects (N = 198) between 8 and 19 years of age from three schools rated the levels of intensity associated with each of the descriptors on a word-graphic rating scale and matched each to one of three drawings depicting painful experiences. ⋯ Significant preferences for matching descriptors to painful experiences was not demonstrated except for the word ache. These findings indicate that children and adolescents associate similar levels of intensity with pain, hurt, and ache but associate different experiences with each.