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Nursing vocabulary · Vital Signs

Temperature

Meaning in nursing, with examples

/ˈtɛmpərətʃər/nounCore term

In nursing, temperature means: How hot a patient's body is, measured with a thermometer in the ear, mouth, armpit, forehead or rectum. In everyday speech it can also simply mean a fever.

In Turkish: vücut sıcaklığı, ateş, vücut ısısı

How it is used

You take or check a temperature; it can be normal, raised, high or low. Common phrases: 'She's running a temperature' (she has a fever) and 'He spiked a temperature overnight' (it went up suddenly). Often shortened to 'temp'. Values are in °C in the UK and Turkey and in °F in the US.

Example sentences

  1. Her temperature is 38.5, so I've informed the doctor and started the sepsis screen.

  2. I'm just going to take your temperature in your ear.

Common collocations

  • take someone's temperature
  • high temperature
  • run a temperature
  • spike a temperature
  • temperature chart
  • vital signsThe basic body measurements that show how well a patient's body is working: usually temperature, pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure and oxygen level.
  • afebrileNot having a fever: a patient whose body temperature is within the normal range is described as afebrile.
  • observationsIn nursing, the regular set of measurements taken from a patient, mainly the vital signs, and sometimes other checks such as pain or level of consciousness.
  • sepsisA life-threatening condition in which the body's response to an infection starts to damage its own organs and tissues.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Vital Signs

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.