Understanding the body’s core temperature is a vital aspect in providing effective medical care. Medical thermometers are an important diagnostic tool for nurses and healthcare professionals and the body’s core temperature can provide a lot of information about the health of a patient.
Accurate diagnosis with medical thermometer
Understanding body temperature is particularly important when dealing with babies and toddlers.
Medical thermometers allow healthcare professionals to provide accurate diagnosis. Temperature can be measured in various locations on the body which maintain a stable temperature. These include oral, axillary(armpit), rectal, tympanic(ear), or temporal(forehead).
A high temperature (over 38°C) usually suggests a fever or illness in a patient. The most effective way to check for a temperature is to use a medically graded thermometer to get an accurate reading.
How has the medical thermometer changed over time?
Technology and innovation have played a huge role in the evolution of medical thermometers over the centuries. It has been widely understood that body temperature can be an indicator of health for many years. However, thermometers did not appear in clinical medicine until the 16th century. Even at this stage medical thermometers were very different to what we know today. Most were known as ‘thermoscopes’ which operated through the use of air being trapped inside a glass tube.
Galileo is credited with creating the first alcohol thermometer after making the discovery that alcoholic liquid rises and falls with different temperatures, however the accuracy of such devices was often thrown into question.
Mercury was first used as a measuring liquid in a thermometer by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1714 – hence where the Fahrenheit temperature scale gets it’s name. Mercury thermometers were a standard medical device up until fairly recently when they started to be phased out for toxicity reasons.
Today, medical thermometers provide accurate readings through digital technology. Traditionally, temperature was taken in hospitals by inserting the thermometer under the tongue which ultimately posed some safety concerns. In more recent years, temperature has more commonly been taken using axilla thermometers placed under the armpit, or tympanic, placed in the ear.
However, a new age of contactless thermometers is changing the landscape. The infection control benefits of non-contact thermometers has been further highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, the marketplace has been flooded with cheap non-contacts, however companies such as TriMedika are leading the way in providing medically graded devices.
What is the best non-contact medically graded thermometer available on the market?
There are a wide range of thermometers available on the market suitable for home use. Additionally, there are some designed specifically for use by medical professionals.
Non-contact medically graded thermometers offer greater clarity, better safety, and quick results.
The thermometer industry has not changed much in the past decade, and this has paved the way for innovative solutions such as TriMedika’s TRITEMP™ Non-Contact Thermometer, providing enhanced safety and accuracy when it is needed most.
TRITEMP’s unique technology offers numerous benefits including infection control as the device never touches a patient whilst providing cost savings and sustainability benefits by eliminating the use of probe covers.
Find out more about TRITEMP™ Non-Contact Thermometer, or contact us to discuss how our technology could benefit you.
Ask our Experts
How do medical grade non-contact thermometers measure temperature ?
Non contact thermometers use infrared technology and that means they have a sensor which collects infrared rays that are emitted by the patient. All living beings produce infrared energy. The forehead has a very rich vascular supply and has been recognised as a very good site to measure temperature for thousands of years. The TRITEMPTM uses multiple algorithms to convert the temperature from the forehead to a core body temperature which is then used to diagnose the patient along with the other vital signs.
Resources:
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7120475/
• https://www.tomsguide.com/uk/best-picks/best-thermometers
