Yes
No
Unsure
Ask
Is there a focused question?
Yes. The question that the study wants to answer is whether patient temperatures measured using temporal artery thermometry methods are the same with temperatures measured using noninvasive thermometry methods.
Access
Have the authors found the best evidence to answer the posed question?
Yes. The study adopts a systematic review design to find evidence. From the twenty peer-reviewed articles that were included, various pieces of evidence were found by the authors. Based on the findings of two studies out of the four that compared pulmonary artery temperature measurements with infrared TA temperature measurements, infrared TA methods had low precision. 89% of measurements were outside ±0.5oC when measuring febrile temperatures. Another four studies compared infrared temperature measurements with urinary bladder temperature measurements. Out of the four, two reported that the precision of infrared temperature measurements was non-satisfactory. The other two studies reported temperature measurements outside the recommended variation of ±0.5oC. It was also found in another study that infrared TA temperature measurements were not accurate and had low precision. Among the 20 studies that were included, nine compared oral temperature measurements with infrared temperature measurements. Four of the nine studies found that temperature measurements taken using infrared TA methods were the same as temperatures measured using non-invasive methods. The temperature measurements of febrile patients revealed that there is variability between the two measurement methods. In general, five out of eight studies that were included which compared TA temperature measurements with measurements from invasive methods reported satisfactory accuracy, while two reported satisfactory precision and one reported satisfactory precision and accuracy simultaneously.
Appraise
Is the evidence valid and useful?
Yes. The presented evidence is valid. Only studies that employed clinical methods to collect data were included. In all the studies, nurses and clinicians were involved in the data collection. The number of articles included in assembling the evidence is large. This ensured that all as many factors as possible were considered in comparing TA temperature measurements with non-invasive temperature measurements and invasive temperature measurements. The results are useful since they can be used while making decisions on which method to use to measure patient temperatures. From the results, nurses and clinicians can pick the most appropriate method based on underlying circumstances.
Apply
Can the results be applied to practice?
Yes. The results can be applied to practice. Since the study found that infrared TA thermometry measurements have non-satisfactory accuracy and precision, it cannot be used for measuring core temperatures. As compared to invasive and non-invasive methods, infrared TA thermometry has low sensitivity when used to detect hypothermia and fever. Thus, clinicians can avoid using infrared TA methods for detecting fever and hypothermia since it can give false results when screening for temperature disorders. From the results, clinicians are discouraged from using TA thermometry in ICU settings, where temperature disorder incidences are high. In such settings, invasive methods are recommended. In cases where TA thermometry cannot be avoided, invasive or non-invasive methods should be used to confirm the temperature measurements, especially when critical decisions should be made.
Audit
Is the study valid?
Do the question and answer align with the methods used, results in report, and the discussion?
Yes. The study is valid since it employs statistically acceptable methods. The study employs a systematic review of previous studies that compared temperature measurements from invasive, non-invasive, and TA thermometry. Twenty studies were included and all studies were proven to have used clinical methods to collect data. The method used aligns with the study question. Studies that compared TA thermometry temperature measures and invasive and non-invasive temperature measurements were used to answer the study question. The results and discussion answered the study questions. The results provide evidence that is used in the discussion to answer the study question. The article concludes that there is significant variability between TA thermometry temperature measurements and invasive temperature measurements.
I believe the article is of good quality. The article is comprised of all the relevant sections of a good article. The authors arrange the article systematically into sections that provide a great flow of information. Each section provides relevant information. The format is good and since the systematic review method is used to collect data in all the studies, it is one of the highly accepted methods of finding evidence. The results are reliable since the studies that were included in the final review employed clinical methods to collect and compare temperature measurements.