What Is The Difference Between Digital And Manual Thermometer?

Thermometers are one of the most efficient devices that help to detect any changes in your body temperature. They come in different forms and styles but ultimately serve the same purpose, to detect the temperature of the object.

Picking up the right hospital thermometers is important for accurate detection but with so many options available, things can get a little confusing. So in this article, we have listed some of the common ones for you to make the right decision.

Broadly dividing, there are two types of hospital thermometers. The contacts and the non-contact ones. The contact ones touch the body for detecting the temperature whereas the non-contact ones can measure without touching your skin.

Contact Thermometers

Most contact thermometers use electronic heat sensors for recording the temperature of your body. These thermometers can be used in different places like your forehead, mouth, armpit, and even your rectum. Modern-day contact thermometers come with digital displays that show accurate readings.
For infants up to three, rectal hospital thermometers are most widely used. The contact thermometers come with several benefits, like:

• They can record temperature from different body parts like the forehead, mouth, armpit, and rectum.
• The electronic display helps for an easy and accurate understanding of the changes in your body temperature.
  

However, they have certain demerits as well which are listed below:

• If you are taking temperature orally, then you might have to wait for 15 to 20 minutes after eating. Otherwise, it might record the temperature of your food/drink.
• Parents might sometimes feel uncomfortable putting the thermometer in their child’s rectum.
• If the given person has an infectious disease, then using the same thermometer might lead to the spread of the infection.
  

Thus, it is essential to ensure that there are different contact thermometers used for different members, even if they are from the same family.

Non-Contact Thermometers

Remote thermometers do not require skin contact, and hence they have become widely popular, especially after COVID. 

They use infrared technology for measuring the temperature either from your forehead or the ear. The benefits of these thermometers would include:

• These thermometers can quickly record the temperature of a person, and that too with accuracy.
• These are appropriate for children and adults of all ages.
• It does not involve any discomfort.
• As it is non-contact, hence there is no chance of infection spreading.
  

The demerits of these thermometers would include:

• These are more expensive than other temperatures.
• These might sometimes give a less accurate reading, if not used properly. For example, if they are too away from the forehead.
  

Fever is one of the first indicators of illness and thus having a thermometer with high accuracy is quite essential. After analyzing the pros and cons of the thermometers, we hope that you will be able to make the right choice.