The reality of rectal temps

It has occurred to me over the past while that rectal temps are very hit and miss depending on your practitioner. Many posters will claim rectal temps are long gone in favor of faster, less invasive more modern practices such as the ear thermometer or the simple slide under the tongue method, and to a large extent they are correct as the possibility of receiving a rectal temp in a routine visit for lets say a cold would be in the order of 1/100, in comparison to the 50s, and 60's (probably 80/100), factor in also that the older you are the likelihood is that figure will dramatically decrease regardless of the era.

However I have occasionally heard of rectal temps been taken in clinical settings where the patient is a young adult and presents with little more than a cold. Some women will also claim that a rectal temp is routine as part of their gyno exam. Better still iv heard of people receiving an rectal temp out of the blue. I recently heard of a rectal temp being taken during a sports physical.

So is it very much just the preference of the doctor or nurse?

In the US, rectal temps at the doctor's office is history except for some children or some debilitated patients. It's a rarity.

To an extent I think your right Susie but it also depends on the doctor. if you look at more rural areas or doctors who are old fashioned or more traditional I am sure rectal temps are more common even in rare cases compared to say a doctor in new York city or Philadelphia.

I would imagine that rectal temps. were more common decades ago, at home, and in the hospital wards, particularly pediatrics. I am close to 60, and my temp. was last taken rectally at home, when I was around 5 or 6. I have met a handful of people who continued to use this method in the claim of accuracy, and probably because it was the standard in their home, while growing up. Today, with cutting edge technology, it is highly doubtful that it continues to be used, and probably in 20 years from now, few people will even be familiar with the rectal method. What I can't imagine, is an OB/GYN using it on women. I've asked a few women who I know well, about that, and they claimed that their OB/GYN never took their temp. rectally.

Never had a rectal temp at ANY doctor's office, not even the pediatrician's. It was always only done at home and only until I reached a certain age (5 or so) I was only re-introduced to the practice by a play doc who was into enemas and all things anal. Seems to be s.o.p. (standard operating procedure) for most enema play.

More than being the preference of the practitioner, I think it's more the policy of the institution for which they work.

Maybe not in France. I read in the French forum that someone had it done just the other week. The poster was female if that has a bearing. I think they are quite traditional over there still and suppositories are a standard response at the first sign of illness.

If my girlfriends obgyn tried a rectal temp on here there would be some issues lol

Would that it were so, but I can't imagine it in an actual clinical setting.

Well, thank you all! I guess I am a rarity then! It´s a nice feeling to know I have some distinction in my professional life! Hahahaha! But, I am curious, as a ¨professional advocate¨ of rectal temps remaining the standard, and looking at another phrase used in one of the posts, am I thus, ¨the hit¨ or ¨the miss¨?

Well, thank you all! I guess I am a rarity then! It´s a nice feeling to know I have some distinction in my professional life! Hahahaha! But, I am curious, as a ¨professional advocate¨ of rectal temps remaining the standard, and looking at another phrase used in one of the posts, am I thus, ¨the hit¨ or ¨the miss¨?

You'll always be a hit Beccarnmommy!

Rectal temps have pretty much died out, but there are exceptions. A heat or temperature related illness (like heat stroke or hypothermia) can still earn you a rectal temperature, from what I hear. I live in the desert and have come close to heat exhaustion before (dizziness, disorientation), and believe me, the thought of that made me get inside and drink water. It's fun to reminisce about childhood experience, but I wouldn't want an ambulance to pull up and give me a rectal temp in front of co-workers, or worse yet children.

Other than that, though, I don't think it's used hardly at all. Ear thermometers take a couple of seconds and are totally non-invasive; a logical choice for a doctor's office that is trying to cram as many patients through the doors as they can to make more money, and avoid lawsuits. Hospitals might use them under certain circumstances, but I have seen the rectal probe placed under the arm on my wife before. They used to never use the under the arm method at all, but now it seems they will do anything to avoid rectal. A hospital got sued a while back for an unnecessary rectal exam on a man's admittance to the ER causing him stress and unnecessary embarrassment. Hospitals have a hard enough time without dealing with things like that, so it's logical to avoid any procedure that might be construed as unnecessary.

My last physical was with a different MD and the preliminaries were done by her nurse. She was maybe 58 to 60 and during the questions and weight and blood pressure, etc. she asked if I had ever had a rectal exam? I wonder if I answered either way, if that would have made some sort of difference? Anyway she said OK the last I need is your temp.. I still wish I would have stood up, I sort of think she would have said "Oh we can do it that way if you wish". If I get the chance again, I think I'll brave it.

Rectal temps are used primarily in the critical care environment, In ITU we use a rectal temperature probe as its the most effective way of continuously monitoring a patients temperature. However with the advent of Foley Catheters with a Temperature attachment, this route is becoming the route of choice for monitoring as every ITU pt has a catheter in situ.

The use of tympanic temperature monitoring is very rarely used due to the inaccuracy involved " Overall tympanic thermometers have been found to display temperatures of between 1.02°C below and 0.91°C above those detected by other recording devices ".

The detection of a pyrexia ( temperature) is extremely important with patients that are immunocompromised as early indication and treatment of an infection could literally mean the difference between life and death.

Rectal temps are still very, very real in the ER & Critical Care settings & also with young children. A rectal temp is a "real" temp, meaning that it is the most accurate way of getting a true reading on how high a patient's temp is. Oral, axillary or any other way is usually off by a degree or two, despite what the thermometer companies advertise. Sometimes I'll get an oral temp, on a patient, that is lower than what I suspect the actual temp to be. They feel warmer than the reading I got from the oral temp. So, I'll take a rectal temp.

During my 12 hr shift in the ER yesterday, most of the temps I took were rectally. That is the expected standard of practice in any hospital. Of course, that does not apply to everyone. If one has an elevated temp orally, in the ER, and has other significant medical problems or is unable to accurately hold a thermometer under one's tongue due to age (too old or too young) or mental status or is suspected to be septic, which very often the elderly are, a rectal temp is automatic. Of course, none of these patients either are aware that they are getting a rectal temp taken or are happy about it if they are aware. To tell the truth, having to turn a pt on their side, on your own, if assistance of a coworker is unavailable is a real & often back breaking chore. So...taking rectal temps, at least in the hospital settings I work in, is definitely not sexy, erotic or fun in any way. It is as automatic as taking one's blood pressure or doing any one of the countless other things we do for patients.

Of course, if a relatively healthy patient comes in with an injury or not feeling well & their medical history is that they are basically a "normal" healthy person, their temp will not be taken rectally. I suspect most here on this forum fall under that category of being a basically "normal" healthy person...at least in terms of whether or not they'd have their temp. taken rectally.

While it's been a very long time since I have seen a rectal temp taken in a doc's office, I do recall that when my ex was post-op and recovering at home, she began to run a fever and the doc, who suspected a post-op infection, requested that I take her temp rectally before he decided what we should do. Her r/t was elevated and I brought her to the office. Her white count was elevated and he gave her a cefotan injection and told me to check her temp and if it didn't drop to take her to the ER, which fortunately we didn't need to do.

About 10 years ago, I passed out from what I thought was heat stroke, but it turns out I had an enlarged heart, anyway, they did take my temperature rectally. I had no problem with it...little did they know I loved it! :0

When I was a toddler, I woke up hot in the middle of the night and I moved from my bed to the floor to go back to sleep and my mom came into my room and found me in the floor. She saw a look in my face and noticed that I did not look good and felt my forehead and so she left a few minutes and came back with the rectal thomometer and I dropped my pants and laid over my mom's lap.

When she inserted the thomometer, it was good and cold and I am just laying there not feeling good and just wanting for the results. It was also deep in the night. When the thomometer was removed, I had fever and my mom went and got me some Children's Tylenol and it was some good stuff for fever. It tasted like cherry and it was a bright red color. I was better in the morning.