USE OF THERMOMETERS IN GENERAL-PRACTICE

Objective-To identify the attitudes of general practitioners towards the use of thermometers in general practice. Design-Postal questionnaire survey. Setting-All general practitioners in the catchment area of Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey. Subjects-145 general practitioners. Main outcome measures-Answers to questions covering a variety of aspects concerning the use of thermometers in general practice. Results-116 (80%) doctors replied. Seven doctors did not have any method of taking a patient's temperature; up to 12 more doctors did not use their thermometers and 56 doctors used them infrequently, less than once a fortnight. Mercury glass thermometers were most commonly used (80 doctors; 69%), but only 8% of doctors used them correctly. Six doctors failed to clean their thermometers between patients. The study failed to identify the roles of axillary and rectal temperature readings. Conclusion-There is a wide variation in attitudes towards the use of thermometers in general practice.