Nurses are on the frontline of patient care and it’s always been the mission of Exergen – creators of the Exergen TemporalScanner – to support their work and help make their jobs easier and more effective. More than a billion temperatures are taken a year and every nurse needs a thermometer they can rely on to get the most accurate, quickest and convenient reading – every single time.

Flu Season in North America

North America is continuing to see the effects of an intensive and dangerous flu season. The main culprit is the H3N2 virus, which is deadlier than the swine flu. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this year’s flu season has seen more outbreaks in more regions of the country that have been reported in the last seven years. As might be expected, the main demographic affected are children (five to nine years old) and adults over the age of 80. Since October 2017, the CDC reports that 84 children have been reported dead from the flu and that number is rising.

Recently, the CDC published a study in Pediatrics showing children’s vulnerability to the flu in the United States. CDC reports, “The study, titled ‘Influenza-Associated Pediatric Deaths in the United States, 2010-2016,’ analyzed reported flu-related deaths in children younger than 18 over the course of six flu seasons, from October 2010 through September 2016. Results showed that half of all flu-related deaths occurred in otherwise healthy children, 22 percent of whom were fully vaccinated.”

This study, solid nursing training and good common-sense show that it is crucial at this time of year to recognize the symptoms of influenza. The primary indicator that differentiates a cold from the flu is a fever – and the only way to determine that is with an accurate thermometer.

Cold and The Flu; There is a Difference

Parents can’t always tell the difference between the cold and the flu, however, and even a cold can cause a slight fever. For this reason, it’s important that nurses become advocates and educators for parents at home. Education is a crucial part of patient outcomes. After leaving the hospital or doctor’s office, knowing how to accurately measure body temperature is essential, as the presence of a fever might mean further investigation or immediate treatment.

School children are vulnerable to catching germs from others who are sick. It is important to counsel parents on the importance of monitoring colds, fevers and worst case, the flu when children come home from school.

Nurses know that concerns about children and fever extend far beyond flu season. No vital sign is as important to monitor as body temperature. This is when it comes to determining the cause of a patient’s condition or illness. Some diseases cause the body to become warmer than normal and some cause it to be cooler. Other times, the patient’s body temperature will stay normal. For each of these scenarios, determining body temperature is a crucial first step when diagnosing a patient’s health or condition.

The Exergen TemporalScanner, used in most hospitals across the U.S., is designed by nurses for nurses. The company’s TemporalScanner is the number one thermometer by both nurses and pediatricians. It is backed by more than 70 clinical studies. This proves its accuracy across all ages from preterm infants and babies to adults and geriatric patients.

Exergen markets two models of the Exergen TemporalScanner. One is a professional version for use in doctor’s offices. The other a consumer model sold in major retailers. Between the two, more than one billion temperatures are taken yearly. The professional model operates daily by more than 4,000 hospitals. Tens of thousands of clinics, office-based practices, and nursing homes also use the Exergen models. And, more than 70 peer-reviewed published studies attest to the accuracy of our forehead scan thermometer.

Exergen Temporal Thermometer

The vast majority of hospitals have approved the use of an alcohol prep or other hospital approved disinfectant wipe. These are for the Exergen TemporalScanner’s probe head between patients. This makes disposable probe covers optional. Our temporal thermometers offer a 90 percent cost savings over other thermometers that require disposable probe covers. Disposable covers are available. For isolation patients, a film sheath is available that encases the entire thermometer. In addition, the Exergen TemporalScanner’s lifetime warranty, unique to thermometry, protects the entire instrument. It also eliminates spare parts storage, biomedical engineering labor, and any repair charges.