Comparison of hand-touch method with axillary and tympanic method in detecting neonatal hypothermia.

Thesis Report.

ABSTRACT: The study entitled "Comparison of Hand-Touch Method with Axillary and Tympanic Method in Detecting Neonatal Hypothermia" was intended to find out how hand-touch method corresponds with the axillary method in detecting neonatal hypothermia when tympanic thermometer was taken as standard. A descriptive comparative study was carried out among 100 full term neonates weighing at least 2.5 kg at birth and delivered within 24 hours time, who were selected purposively from maternity ward of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH). Neonate's temperature was measured by specific tools as hand-touch method, tympanic thermometer and low reading mercury in glass thermometer. Chi-square test was used to see the statistical difference between two methods and the diagnostic validity of hand-touch method was assessed by sensitivity and specificity against tympanic and axillary method. The study findings revealed that hand-touch method was statistically different from tympanic method (p=0.000) and axillary method (p=0.000) in measuring neonatal temperature. But the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of hand-touch method for detecting neonatal hypothermia was 76.6%, 83% and 80% respectively with positive and negative predictive value as 80% as compared with tympanic method. Similarly the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of hand-touch method for detecting neonatal hypothermia was 70.1%, 95.6% and 76% with positive predictive value as 98.2% and negative predictive value as 48.9% respectively in compare to axillary method. The findings suggested that hand-touch method is as effective as axillary and tympanic method and has high diagnostic validity in detecting neonatal hypothermia so it can be used as an alternative method, which is also more practicable as it is safe, easy, atraumatic and less time consuming method than axillary and tympanic method.

Eng.