A body thermometer is essential because sometimes you cannot tell the severity of a fever and a temperature thermometer will give you an accurate reading. A tympanic thermometer uses infra-red light to detect thermal radiation and they are also called infrared thermometers. It is designed for intermittent use, offering a one-off digital reading. It is non-invasive, hygienic, simple to use, comfortable for the patient and quick to register.
The thermometer probe should be gently placed in the ear canal and allowed to fit snugly. This will prevent ambient air at the opening of the ear canal from entering it, resulting in a false low temperature measurement. Care should be taken when using the tympanic thermometer, as poor technique can lead to inaccurate temperature measurements. Temperature differences between the opening of the ear canal and the tympanic membrane can be as much as 2.8°C. Other causes of false low readings include a dirty or cracked lens, improper technique, incorrect installation of the probe cover and short time intervals (less than 2-3 minutes) between consecutive temperature measurements.
Although a body thermometer is fine for adults and children to use, the problems arise when the child is very small. This is when a baby thermometer is the best choice and you will find that the infrared thermometers are great for this. Parents and health care workers use temperatures measured by parents at home to determine if a child requires medical assessment.
Health care workers sometimes make decisions about the need for investigations and hospital admission based on the temperature that parents report. This is especially true in the newborn where any temperature above the normal range can be indicative of bacterial infection. Health care workers have used commercial tympanic thermometers in hospitals for over 15 years. These thermometers are quick and easy to use and minimize the risk of infection.
During investigation and diagnosis of patients, accurate temperature measurement is of great importance. The advantages of using a tympanic thermometer are speed (temperature reading available within seconds), safety, and ease of use. The accuracy will depend on the experience of the person doing the reading and also on a few other factors such as the child not keeping the head still or even the build-up of excessive earwax. Anyone who has ever had to deal with a sick child will tell you that in such cases you want quick and easy temperature readings and a baby ear thermometer will provide that.