Non-Contact Thermometers?

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The probe broke on my oral thermometer yesterday. The non-contact thermometers are half the price of a new probe, and I would no longer have to buy probe covers. What do you use?

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Specializes in Med-surg, school nursing..

I use a tympanic. I have tried the infrared ones and can never get anything above 95, but some people swear by them.

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All 3 of my campuses have a WelchAllyn SureTemp Plus. I personally love it and my admins who use them on the other 2 campuses say they love them too. We used to use a temporal one and I HATED it. It was never consistent.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

i have both. The non contact is great and i use it 95% of the time, but it does have its limitations. I find that mine is sensitive to students that have just come in from the cold / heat. A student sitting in direct sun may get a hot reading on one side and normal on the other. I always give them a few zaps. I use my tympanic as my tie breaker and in a few other scenarios. It's nice to not go through hundreds of probe covers a week, as we all know that every kid NEEDS to have their temp taken - even if you tell them it's only a stuffy nose, they aren't reassured until they see THE NUMBER

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

I trust the back of my hand more than a non-contact or even a temporal thermometer. Spend the money on the new probe.

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3 minutes ago, KeeperOfTheIceRN said:

All 3 of my campuses have a WelchAllyn SureTemp Plus. I personally love it and my admins who use them on the other 2 campuses say they love them too. We used to use a temporal one and I HATED it. It was never consistent.

This is what I have and it's the second one that the probe broke! The little plastic piece that holds the probe cover broke off.

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2 minutes ago, OldDude said:

I trust the back of my hand more than a non-contact or even a temporal thermometer. Spend the money on the new probe.

That's kind of what I was thinking...

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
1 minute ago, chasinRT said:

This is what I have and it's the second one that the probe broke! The little plastic piece that holds the probe cover broke off.

WelchAllyn might replace that for you, no charge, if you call them and explain the circumstances; might be worth a try. You can still hold the probe cover on by hand until you get it replaced.

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3 minutes ago, chasinRT said:

This is what I have and it's the second one that the probe broke! The little plastic piece that holds the probe cover broke off.

Aww man! That sucks!!

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
20 minutes ago, Flare said:

It's nice to not go through hundreds of probe covers a week, as we all know that every kid NEEDS to have their temp taken - even if you tell them it's only a stuffy nose, they aren't reassured until they see THE NUMBER

We keep our tympanic on Centigrade. My wife and I are accustomed to it from our hospital years and the students are clueless.

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
50 minutes ago, OldDude said:

I trust the back of my hand more than a non-contact or even a temporal thermometer. Spend the money on the new probe.

Now THAT is wisdom. The non-contact thermometers...I only use it for preK, K, nonverbal kiddos. By the time the screen flashes red the kid's legit at 102+.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I keep my non-contact as a back up in case a kiddo really is having a problem getting a read otherwise, but I think I've pulled it out once or twice this year. Generally dislike it.

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