Measurement of Vital Signs: Temperature [Tutorial]

The four vital signs represent a simple assessment of the physiological and physical status of an individual. They are used by clinicians as a quick and general evaluation of their patients and often are measured by a medical assistant before a patient's office visit. They are also regularly measured for hospital inpatients for periodic assessment of their status. The four basic signs are: body temperature; heart rate; breathing rate; blood pressure. We will examine the methods of measuring each of these. Although this will not be an extensive survey of the literature, it is designed to review the basic methods of measuring body temperature and to look at some of the newer methods that have been applied in clinical practice.