What to Do and Safety

What to Do

Safety Tips

Show Me How

Equipment

WHAT TO DO

Reducing a Fever

When a person has a fever, you want to promote the body’s normal ways to reduce heat.

The person will normally sweat, so replace lost fluid by having the person drink liquids. Have the person drink 8 to 10 8-ounce glasses of liquids each day (unless otherwise ordered by their doctor).
Remove extra layers of clothing or bed linen.
Keep a room cool, use a fan or lower the thermostat. Do not let the temperature of a room become so cold that it causes the person to shiver. Shivering causes body temperature to become higher.
Bathe or shower with lukewarm, not cool water. Cool water might cause shivering, which will make the fever go higher.
When the person begins to feel uncomfortable, give a fever-reducing medicine like acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen unless the doctor advises against it. Note: Some doctors will not recommend fever-reducing medicine because fever is the body’s way to fight infection. Do not give aspirin to anyone younger than age 20 because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome.
Reduce the person’s physical activity. The more active the person is, the higher the body temperature.

You might find the person outside when you notice the signs of heat exhaustion. Signs and symptoms often develop suddenly.

Move the person out of the sun to the shade or a shelter.
Give the person cool, non-alcoholic liquids to drink.
Have the person take a cool shower or bath. Prepare a basin of room temperature water and give a sponge bath.
Place the person in a room with fans or air conditioning.
Remove extra layers of clothing.

If you need to keep the wound covered during a shower, tape a layer of plastic wrap over the wound. Tape along all four edges of the plastic wrap to keep water out of the wound. If possible use a hand-held shower head and direct water flow away from the wound to lessen the chance of the wound becoming wet.

Move the person out of the sun to the shade or a shelter.
Cool the person quickly. Ways to cool include: placing the person in a tub of cool water or into a cool shower, spraying the person with cool water from a garden hose, sponging the person with cool water.
If the person can drink, give cool non-alcoholic liquids.
Continue to take the temperature until it drops to 101 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 to 38.8 degrees Centigrade).

SAFETY TIPS

When taking an oral or rectal temperature, protect yourself from infection by wearing clean gloves. Body secretions carry germs.
Never force a rectal thermometer into the person’s rectum.
If a person is uncooperative or confused, do not use an oral thermometer.

SHOW ME HOW

If the person cannot hold the thermometer in their mouth or if they are uncooperative, use a different route.

Taking a Temperature by Mouth.

Taking a Temperature by Rectum.

Taking a Temperature by Armpit.