EBME Forums Forums Management Medical Equipment Management Do you have an opinion on thermometers?

There are 2 BIG down sides to the Exergen that we have found. The nurses try to change the batteries on them thereby damaging the casing, this should be done by EBME.(had no idea that nurses had screw drivers in thier pockets!)
The other HUGE problem that we have is that when they break down they have to be collected on mass then sent to America to be be fixed, this can take weeks/months and so you have to furnish your devices library with lots to replace faulty ones.
There are training implications involved as some one has mentioned with the cleaning and use, but all in all they are ok and acurate enough BUT only if they are properly cleaned.

I hope you don't mind me commenting that those are all things that should have been consider during Evaluation. That is, before they were purchased!

i know Geoff, needless to say we were NOT consulted, they were jsut bought by the trust and then thrust upon us.......

whats new!!!!

Indeed!

Thanks to John Sandham. You have raised some interesting points that I will need to consider.
When I came across the Exergen it made me think of doctors and their stethoscopes. Surely they can be cleaned in the same way? Although how often do doctors clean their stethoscopes? I doubt its after every patient!
The other point is testing. I know that tympanic thermometers can be checked using a portable blackbody to ensure they are within limits. Is there a similar method for the Exergen or Thermofocus?

We have been moving from Genius 1 to Genius 2 of the last few months – we were supplied with a calibration CHECKER for the 2 – so there is no adjustment – if it fails we send it back. The for the 2 spec states ±0.1°C @ 25°C and ±0.2°C between 33°C and 42°C

The calibration checker also has 2 targets - 32.2°C ; ±0.3°C to 40.6°C ; ±0.3°C

When set on Oral which is the hospital protocol it adds 0.6°C to the reading – so what we find has happened is that units which all pass on the checker can have a difference of up to 0.45°C – this causes quite problem in our day surgery and emergency department , from what we can gather they need to know with a fair degree of accuracy what the temperature is – particularly with kids and so operations have been cancelled ( They cancel at 37.3°C) etc etc – as for the rest of the hospital we think they more concerned with the trend and as a result Tyco tell us they have very few problems – but we think if they surveyed day theatres and ED’s or those departments were they need to use the device establish a problem rather than monitor a trend they might get a different result – has anyone else had this issue

Regards George

There is also a temperature verification tester for the temporal scan thermometers. I am not sure, but i doubt there would be any need to calibrate a modern digital device. I know (many yrs ago) we would tweak pots, but it just doesn't happen anymore. The main reason why thermometers don't read correctly is because they are dirty, or not used correctly.

George
If your theatre/anaesthetic staff are cancelling paediatric operations when the oral temperature is above 37.3, then your criteria is too stringent.
As pointed out by other contributors, there are differences between makes and types of thermometers with regard to accuracy and temperature readout. Also, there will be temperature differences within the buccal cavity, so the reading will depend on where the tip of the probe is placed. In addition, the buccal cavity temperature in children can be raised or lowered by their abilty to scream/ hyperventilate etc.
There are too many variables to have a cut off at 37.3 and it should be raised to 37.5 (in my opinion).

Very good point - I will speak to them about it and see what they have to say , Thanks George

Quinny, I have been (reliably) informed that the turnaround for the exergen scanners should be 28 days!
The only thing that concerns me is the cleaning protocols. If alcohol wipes are used, how long do you have to wait between patients for the probe tip to be dry enough for an accurate reading? And will they actually be cleaned between patients?
It does look good though and it seems easy to use.

Could I ask which trusts have the Exergen TAT Scanner in use and what their infection control policy is? Alcohol wipes, probe covers,...?