Evaluation of Suitable Connection Point of Skin Probe for Temperature Control in Premature Infants under Radiant Heating Admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Placement of skin heat probe for continuous monitoring of infant body temperature is one of the main components of neonatal care. Therefore, managing the body temperature of newborns under radiation warmers requires a lot of attention from nurses to prevent unwanted complications. The aim of this study was to determine the appropriate connection point of skin probe for temperature control in premature infants under radiant heating admitted to neonatal intensive care units in Hamadan in 2020.

In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 140 infants aged 34 to 37 weeks admitted to neonatal intensive care units in Hamadan in 2020 who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study by available methods. The incubator temperature was set at 37 degrees and it was the same for all infants. For each infant, the probe was attached to the forehead, chest between the ribs, right axillar, arms adjacent to the nipple, right armpit, back of the legs, and upper thigh, respectively. The baby's temperature displayed on the digital warmer screen was recorded two minutes later. A researcher-made checklist was used to record the data and the data were analyzed using t-test and Paired t-test.

The correlation between left and right axillary was highest, meaning that the best location for the incubator thermometer probe, after the left axillary is the right axillary (r = 0.91, P = 0.001).

The most suitable place for connecting skin probe for temperature control after left axillary, is the right axillary.