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

Stephen
At the end of the day, it is difficult to get any type of thermometer (with or without correction) to give a definitive, actual, accurate temperature.
Thermometers should only really be used to show change in temperature rather than an absolute temperature.

Yes, why all this talk about "0.3 deg offset", and the like? These things (the thermometers, that is) are only used as a guide. What "accuracy" could ever be achieved using the (perfectly adequate) traditional "under the tongue" mercury thermometer?

It's the digital age Geoff. It also applies to blood pressures, infusion devices etc etc. Take the Dinamap away and ask the newley qualified nurse to take a bp manually, set up a simple drip etc etc

Two ways of looking at it:-

1) Waste of (taxpayers') money, over-dependence on technology, and all the rest.

2) More, and continuous, work for those in the business of tech support!

... but what about "the patient", quality of care, and all that? I'll leave others to comment on that one!

It works the other way too mind Geoff.
Take a field service engineer's laptop off of him (or her) and they'll run around in ever decreasing circles before dissapperaing totally

Well, that's one way of getting rid of them ... thanks for the tip!

Works every time mate