Practical Considerations When Taking A Temperature USING IR Thermometer

Naik Meditechs introduced the ThermoFlash brand of infra-red thermometers in India in 2012.

ThermoFlash has established itself as the brand of choice internationally for infrared thermometers and proven its worth as a preferred instrument during the Ebola outbreak.

Given the Covid19 outbreak, there is a mad rush to procure non contact thermometers.

Please keep the following points in mind.

Most products available in the market are industrial thermometers which measure surface temperature and not core-body temperature.

So buyers must ensure they are buying a medical grade thermometer which had at-least a CE or an FDA approval.

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS WHEN TAKING A TEMPERATURE USING IR Thermometer

- In order to ensure that precise and accurate temperature measurements are obtained, it is essential that each user has received adequate information on and training in the temperature measurement technique when using such a device.

- It is essential to remember that although procedures such as taking a temperature may be simple they must not be trivialised.

- Temperature should be taken in a neutral context. The patient must not have undertaken vigorous physical activity prior to taking his/her temperature and the room temperature must be moderate.

- Be aware of physiological variations in temperature which must be taken into consideration when evaluating the results:

> temperature increases by 0.5C° between 6am and 3pm.

> Women have a temperature that is higher, on average, by around 0.2C°. Their temperature also varies in accordance with their ovarian cycle. It rises by 0.5C° in the second half of the cycle and at the early stages of pregnancy.

> When sitting, temperature is lower by about 0.3 to 0.4C° than when standing.

CONSTRAINTS

Please observe the following before any temperature measurement to ensure a stable and reliable result:

- Push back hair from the forehead

- Wipe away any perspiration from the forehead

- Avoid any drafts (e.g. from nasal specs, air conditioning…)

- Allow a 1 minute interval between two measurements.

- In order to obtain reliable and stable results, it is advised with each change of environment with a difference in room

temperature (of ± 10°C), to leave the Thermometer in this room for at least 15 minutes before using, this allows the sensors to readjust to ambient temperature

ADVANTAGES OF TEMPORAL ARTERY (TA) TEMPERATURE
Infrared arterial temperature can be measured using a device placed on the forehead, in the temporal artery region. It has been demonstrated that this relatively new method of measuring temperature is more precise than tympanic thermometry and better tolerated than rectal thermometry.

Please find attached a demo…Although its of Thermoflash, the usage directions of Temperature measurement is applicable across the brands.