Word parts
What it means
A charting word meaning the client does not have a fever. Its opposite is febrile, having a fever. Clients are often charted as "afebrile" when the temperature stays in the normal range over a shift or after treatment.
For the nurse
A normal temperature does not rule out infection, especially in older adults and clients taking fever-lowering drugs or steroids, so look at the whole picture.
In a chart
"Client afebrile for 48 hours; T 98.4°F (36.9°C) this morning."
At a glance
| Spanish | afebril |
|---|
Related terms
a-
A word beginning that means without, not or absence of; written an- before a vowel.
hyperthermia
A body temperature that is higher than normal because the body takes in or makes more heat than it can lose.