Anyone with a body has a temperature and anyone with a temperature needs to monitor it.
Particularly in this day and age.
FitTrack's new Tempo touchless thermometer is a great way to get an accurate reading of body temperature. Let's take a look at the features and uses of the latest in health technology.
Temperature Screening For COVID-19
The Coronavirus pandemic has been affecting people around the world for nearly a year.
As cities swing between quarantine and tentatively reopen while wearing face masks (and back again), the need for accurate, non-contact temperature readings remains a priority.
Whether you're staying home after having been exposed to the Coronavirus or monitoring the health of your employees in the office, a no-touch thermometer is the safest way to check human body temperatures while minimizing or eliminating cross-contamination.
Unlike in-ear or oral thermometers, simply aim the infrared sensor at the forehead without touching the skin and wait for the temperature reading to show up on the LED screen.
What Forehead Temperature Indicates COVID-19?
The CDC considers a person to have a fever if their temperature measurement reaches 100.4 degrees or higher.
However, many symptoms have been associated with the Coronavirus, including loss of smell and taste, headache, sore throat, difficulty breathing, and more.
Some patients who have tested positive with COVID-19 maintained low-grade fevers and some did not present with an elevated temperature at all. Be sure to speak with a doctor or seek professional testing if in doubt.
What Is A Normal Forehead Temperature Reading?
Temperature readings can be taken in many places of the body, but the results may vary slightly depending on the chose location.
For example, temperatures taken from inside the ear might be a half degree to a full degree higher than an oral temperature reading.
Alternatively, forehead temperatures may be a half degree to a full degree lower than an oral temperature measurement.
American Body Temperatures Have Decreased
Traditionally, 98.6 degrees was regarded to be the standard temperature of a healthy body by doctors and patients alike.
However, researchers have recently discovered a drop in the natural human body temperature in recent years. In 2017, a study consisting of 35,000 adults in the United Kingdom showed temperature readouts to have dropped to an average of 97.9 degrees.
There may be some evidence that the average temperature has continued to drop.
Two years later in 2019, a study in Palo Alto, California found participants' average temperature had dropped further to 97.5 degrees.
Despite these findings, the threshold for the temperature of a fever does not seem to have changed.
Are Touchless Thermometers Accurate?
It's easy to find rankings claiming underarm or forehead readings to be less accurate than oral or in-ear readings, but many doctors disagree with those assessments.
Medical professionals often consider contact forehead thermometers and no-touch forehead thermometers just as accurate as any other type of digital thermometers.
In fact, pediatricians often prefer touchless options over other types of digital thermometers as they are easier to use with squirmy, impatient children and toddlers.
Is An Infrared Forehead Thermometer Safe To Use?
There is a myth that occasionally circulates claiming no-contact thermometers send a beam of infrared light into the brain, but this is false.
Contactless thermometers use infrared technology to measure the ambient temperature around the forehead.
In other words, they detect heat emitting from the body to determine an accurate temperature reading. As already stated, these gadgets are often preferred by pediatricians, so not only are they safe for adults but for infants, as well.
Touchless Thermometers Versus In-Ear Thermometers
Both forehead thermometers and in-ear devices employ infrared technology to measure ambient temperature.
However, in-ear readings may be slightly higher than an oral measurement, while forehead readings might be slightly lower.
While in-ear thermometers are considered good options for adults and children over six months old, they are not recommended for infants. A curved ear canal or ear wax may also interfere with in-ear readings, potentially making them less accurate.
Finally, energetic children are more likely to sit still for a touchless thermometer than an in-ear version.
Non-Contact Infrared Thermometers Versus Oral Thermometers
Oral thermometers have seen a lot of controversy over the years thanks to potential choking hazards due to broken glass and the poisonous toxicity of mercury, which was largely used in early versions of the device.
Many liquid-based oral thermometers now use an alcohol-based solution to replace mercury, while digital versions use electronic voltage to measure the resistance across the metal probe.
Both oral (especially digital thermometers) and contactless thermometers are considered safe for children, however, oral versions are not recommended for toddlers under four years old as the lips must remain closed while administering the test.
Pacifier thermometers can be used for infants up to a year old. It is further recommended not to use an oral thermometer if the patient has recently consumed a hot or cold beverage, as that could affect the readout.
This is a large part of why non-contact forehead thermometers are preferred for children, as they can provide accurate measurements in seconds regardless of the child's cooperation.
Features
- Backlight LCD display
- Fahrenheit and Celsius modes
- Accurate results in 1 second
- Measures from a distance of 1-3 centimeters
- Accurate to within 0.3 degrees Celsius or 0.54 degrees Fahrenheit
- Operates on two triple-A batteries
The FitTrack Tempo can be bundled with the FitTrack Atria 2.0 Fitness Tracker through the FitTrack website. Shoppers may also choose to pay for this contactless thermometer in installments.