What is a Fever? Low and High Grade

Nurses routinely assess a patient’s temperature to assess patient status, the effectiveness of treatment, and to monitor the progression of disease processes. Knowing what is a “fever“ and what is not a “fever“ is not as straight forward as one might think. We often use terms such as low grade and high-grade temperature and knowing when to call the physician is an important nursing skill. Review how the body regulates our body temperature from the thermostatic control center in the hypothalamus to the ways our body adjusts for changing temperatures. Revisit the patterns of fever ... yes patterns ... that give you some insight into how bacteria, viruses, fungus, parasites, and other injuries and diseases such as Stroke, Hodgkin’s Disease and trauma as it relates to intracranial pressures all work to reset our temperature and cause fevers. Discussions around typical treatments such as antipyretics, fluids, rest, cooling techniques included to help you anticipate what might be recommended to care for your fe