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Hi Everyone,
I am wondering whether anyone here experience different reading between mercury and digital thermometer. My temperature with mercury thermometer is 98.6 while the digital thermometer is 97.88. I am so confuse. Which one do doctors normally use for the accuracy of body temperature measuring?
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(28-01-2010, 02:44)crystalelle Wrote: Hi Everyone,
I am wondering whether anyone here experience different reading between mercury and digital thermometer. My temperature with mercury thermometer is 98.6 while the digital thermometer is 97.88. I am so confuse. Which one do doctors normally use for the accuracy of body temperature measuring?
differences in it sure
mercury can kill you lol
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the most accurate reading is a rectal reading w/ a mercury thermometer. It's not recommend to do it by yourself since there's a risk for tissue damage. Even MDs and nurses don't do that one much. And a mercury thermometer can be poisonous if broken, there are specific protocol on how to do a clean up, so it's important to look into that if you have one lying around the house somewhere just to be safe. In a medical setting I see digital tympanic (ear) thermometers used a lot. You have to place the ear piece snugly into the ear canal to have an accurate reading tho. and if you do go this route make sure to always clean it with a alcohol swab if you're sharing this thermometer. dont want to get someone else ear infection. Infants have very critical temperature readings because you pretty much have to has a very accurate reading on them. In newborn intensive care units they use digital thermometer and they take it under the arm.
well these are my info, I hope it will help you decide which route to go
