Rectal temps in different (foreign) countries

I think RT indeed is normal in Denmark. For all ages. My wife was recently admitted to the Hospital, and there they took her temperature rectally. I know that doctors prefer a rectal temperature. So I think that still it is very common.

I've posted on this before in another thread. Some years ago my girlfriend sponsored a French exchange student. One day she wasn't feeling well and my girlfriend went to fetch a universal thermometer intending to take an oral temp. She went to her bedroom and the student was on her bed on her tummy with shorts and panties at her knees. GF just went back to the bathroom and retrieved a tube of lube and gave it to the girl saying, "I think you should do this yourself." I wasn't there but that's the story.

I had my rectal temperature in Spain until I was 10 years old (2009), I remember was always rectal because the armpit is not safe.

I can remember something very curious the last year of rectal temp, in the room of the pediatrician there was an anime poster with a red-haired boy, with a thermometer on the bottom and axilary ( This poster It explains how to take the rectal and axillary temperature )

With 12 years I had a throat infection and a Male Doctor took my axilary temp. Sometimes i think if I would refuse if it was rectally)

Something strange is that only I had some rectal temps, because my friends always had a RT in their homes but never in a medical clinic

There someone from Spain who had some rectal temp in a medical clinic?

Completely lost to history in Ireland. You can't even purchase glass based thermometers in most pharmacies. It's mostly the those horrible ear based thermometers.

In medicine here measurement through the ear is by far the preferred method. It's is used on everyone.

Not surprised Ireland is a country destroyed by the PC police. Shame really.

There would be uproar if medical institutions decided to adopt a rectal temperature preference.

Rectal temperature was very common in France during the 80's and 90's.

In 2010 my wife was hospitalized during her pregnancy and had to take her temperature rectally at least once a day. She was surprised and embarrassed. Once I took her temperature while visiting her. She is from South America and rectal temperature taking doesn't seem to be common here.

I don't know about now, but when I traveled through Europe in the 70's, I was aware that if you went to a doctor, you were likely to have your temperature taken rectally, with the exception of the U.K., and Spain, which is where I spent most of my time, as a foreign-exchange student. I was told by some Americans whom I met while traveling, about their experiences with medical care, and how they were shocked to be told that their temperature was going to be taken rectally. These were young adults for the most part, so they were pretty uncomfortable with it. I've also traveled through central and South America, and fortunately, never needed medical care, as I've been told that their facilities are antiquated and unsanitary. My wife's niece went there to have liposuction surgery, and died from a massive infection after returning home. And that's not an isolated case. I do know that there are many Germans and Italians living in South America,specifically Argentina, so maybe rectal temp. taking was influenced possibly by those cultures. Again, this is just based on what I've seen and heard. I've never had my rectal temp. taken outside of the U.S.

In Poland, rectal temperature is measured only in infants and very young children (up to 3 years of age). There are quite rare exceptions to this rule, but then it lasts up to 5-6 years of age.

Only women who use the calendar method sometimes measure the temperature in the rectum, but more often in the vagina. Adults and children usually take the temperature under the armpit, measuring in the mouth is also quite rare. When I was 7 years old in hospital, both me and younger children had their armpit temperature measured.

I admit that I was very surprised when I found out how common in other countries it is to measure rectal temperature.

Have travelled around Europe and been to some clinics. Temp often taken, always orally.

I've traveled through much of western Europe, and was sick while in Spain. I never experienced a rectal temp. during that time, but have been told that it was done routinely, particularly in France, Holland, Germany, and the Scandinavian countries. Apparently not in the U.K. I don't know if those countries still use that method.

Rectal temperatures were commonplace in France 30-40+ years ago for patients of all ages. The common protocol from parents and nurses was to let the patient take him or her own temperature, under bedsheets, if old enough and not incapacitated.

These days, tympanic thermometers are used in hospitals and I see no reason why a rectal should be done. Many adults over 40 however still take their temperature rectally because that's what they were taught growing up.

@JJM in present-day Holland (or the Netherlands, which is its proper name) a variety of methods is used. At the GP, it will likely be tempanic. In hospital, you will have a 50/50 chance of getting a tempanic or a rectal. I have never seen oral.

Rtensup: In the Netherlands, if a hospital does a rectal on an adult (or an older child), is this done by the nurse or is the patient asked to do it ?

In my country rectal temperature is not very common. Of course it happened that I took it that way few times.

Same here in Switzerland, unfortunately. Most clinics now use forehead scanners. Understandable, but unfortunate for those of us with RT fetishes.

I Norway, as I know it, there is not any specific age limit for rectal temp and rectal temp ha not gone out of date. Rectal temp is simply an option among others. Norwegian doctors have the habit of taking rectal temp of children with fever, at least up to age 7.

I write, Norway as I know it, because Norway is a very messy country regarding all medical. What and how much happens with children vary huge from place to place and from time to time. In Norway you can expect everything, anything or nothing, and especially for children.

At the doctors and at hospitals it's common nowadays to measure the temperature in the ear since it is the easiest way and accurate enough.

I had a girlfriend who sponsored a French exchange student. Student wasn't feeling well. Girlfriend got a thermometer and found student on tummy with pants and panties down. Girlfriend handed thermometer to student and said, "You may wish to do this yourself" and left the room.

@rangerboy,

Was the exchange student a boy or a girl ?

In Poland, the temperature in the rectum is measured only in infants up to 2-3 years of age. Hardly anyone remembers it. There are rarely any exceptions to this rule. Children and adults usually measure the temperature in the armpit

In Ireland, or I should say on the island of Ireland it’s very difficult to tell. Here GPs tend to take a very hands off approach to their patients, for example, my GP although very experienced will rarely examine me, it’s almost always diagnosis by verbal description. I know others have the same experience. To that point, I very much doubt rectal temperatures happen.

Nowadays in the UK they nearly always use a tympanic thermometer in the ear. I think I've only had my temperature taken at the doctors on one occasion and that was in the mouth. I don't think rectal temps have ever been very common over here, we used a forehead strip to check our kids if they were poorly.

Rangerboy: This is surprising. In younger generations people are used to tympanic or "gun-type" thermometers, and in older generations people were used to take their own temperature rectally. It's abnormal for anybody except a small child to expect to have his or her temperature taken rectally (maybe that students' parents were a bit weird).

Now days, RT's seem to be a thing of the past and are now relegated to just fantasy play exams.

@Downton

Rectal temperatures are commonly used on babies and toddlers, I think. (It may be counterintuitive, but my experience is that it's waay easier to stick a thermometer or suppository into a baby or toddler than to give them oral medication.)

And in countries where rectal temperatures used to be commonplace, older people (> 40 years old in France, I think) may be still use them on themselves as adults. It's a bit old fashioned, that's all.

What's relegated to fantasy is a parent, nurse or doctor doing a rectal temperature on an older child, teenager or adult, unless special circumstances apply.

When I was growing up, rectal temperatures used to be widely used even for adults, but it would have seemed inappropriate to take one on an older child, let alone a teen - you were given the thermometer to stick it inside yourself.

Hello, I’ve been reading a lot of experiences here about RT being regularly taken at the pediatrician for some people mostly from US, even people who are now in their 20s, at least according to their profile, had their temperature taken this way. I was wondering, is this still a common practice in some rural area in the US? How common was it at its peak times and is it up to the doctors still to decide what would be the best way to take the temperature or are there some general guidelines? For example in my country the RT was never a thing. Usually even your temperature wouldn’t be measured at the doctor, only if the patient is sick, but definitely not for routine check-ups. And if so, it would be under the armpit. Only new born and toddlers would have their temperature taking in their rectum.

For example in my country the RT was never a thing. Usually even your temperature woudln’t be measured at the doctor, only if the patient is sick, but definitely not for rutine check-ups. And if so, it would be under the armpit. Only new born and toddlers would have their temperature taking in their rectum.

In Poland it is similar - the temperature is measured under the armpit. Only infants have rectal measurements. Rarely does anyone remember it.

Well my original post wasn’t really about RT in a foreign countries but rather how is it in the US currently and how was it in the past. So this doesn’t really fit the topic of this discussion. Given most of the users here are from the US, they wouldn’t consider US as a foreign country

Well I'm a “foreigner” if you wanna discuss geographical difference & yes there was a time here where rectal temps were simply par for the course so to speak. They were being phased out by the very late 70's into the 80's . . . Regional ran to the latter part of the 1980's

Personally I did not receive that many as stated on an old forum post, now almost forgotten. Throughout childhood & into my teenage years it was mostly axillary or orally (under the tongue)

Rectal if/when noticably feverish & sweating

As I was a child it was not so uncommon in Germany. I got rectal temperature taken from my mom until 12. Then she switched to an ear thermometer.

But as I remember a lot of my friends did get it the same way.

I was born in 1997 so it was the late 90th- 2009 around.

Like in some other European countries in the Netherlands rectal temp taking was/is common. During my childhood in the eighties it was common and I think used by many people. If you were raised with this method it is obvious to continue practicing it. Nowadays with many different infrared thermometers it is of course more widely spread. Medics still only acknowledge 2 reliable ways: rectal and ear (if applied correctly which is not easy). Underarm, oral and forehead are not considered reliable and therefor not recommended. For basal body temperature tracking rectal and vaginal are common ways. During Covid house doctors always wanted you to check your rectal or ear temperature before you came for the appointment. Forehead measurements in public live didn’t really make it because of it’s inaccuracy and privacy. Although rectal still is considered the golden standard I’m sure that younger generations are more familiar with the ear and forehead thermometers.