Measuring Oral Temperature — Practice Checklist

Step-by-Step Procedure (15 steps)

1. 1.

   Gather equipment: electronic oral thermometer, thermometer probe covers/sheaths, gloves, paper and pen.

2. 2.

   Wash hands and put on gloves.

3. 3.

   Identify the resident and explain the procedure.

4. 4.

   Ask if the resident has eaten, drunk, smoked, or had cold/hot liquids in the past 15–20 minutes; if so, wait before proceeding.

5. 5.

   Insert a clean probe cover/sheath onto the thermometer probe.

6. 6.

   Turn on the thermometer and wait for the ready signal.

7. 7.

   Ask the resident to open their mouth and lift their tongue.

8. 8.

   Place the probe tip under the tongue in the posterior sublingual pocket (to one side of the frenulum).

9. 9.

   Instruct the resident to close their lips gently around the probe and breathe through their nose.

10. 10.

    Hold the thermometer in place and wait for the audible beep indicating the reading is complete.

11. 11.

    Remove the thermometer, read the temperature on the display.

12. 12.

    Eject or remove the probe cover without touching it; discard.

13. 13.

    Remove gloves and wash hands.

14. 14.

    Record the temperature, route (oral), date, and time.

15. 15.

    Report any abnormal reading to the nurse immediately.

Evaluator Pass Criteria (5 checkpoints)

All of these must be observed for you to pass this skill.

• A fresh probe cover is applied before placement.

• Probe is placed in the posterior sublingual pocket, not under the front of the tongue.

• Resident keeps lips closed around the probe until the beep.

• Temperature is read accurately and recorded with route noted.

• Probe cover is discarded without contaminating hands.

Critical Mistakes — Avoid These

• ⚠

  Placing the probe under the front of the tongue rather than the sublingual pocket — this gives a falsely low reading.

• ⚠

  Removing the thermometer before the completion beep sounds.

• ⚠

  Forgetting to use a fresh probe cover for each measurement.

• ⚠

  Not asking whether the resident recently ate or drank before measuring.

• ⚠

  Failing to note the route (oral) when recording.