Are Glass Galinstan Thermometers Worth It?

Kunstruct

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Sep 6, 2018
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Some of the digital themometers I had measured way too low and several people I have talked to already do not believe their temperature and add 0.5Celsius to the reading which is rather arbitrary.


I use now 2 mercury thermometers, but they work really slow, for an accurate reading underarm I leave them for at least 10 minutes.
How fast and accurate are the are galinstan thermometers? Has anyone used them at the same time they used mercury thermometers to compare them?

Now I wanted to recommend people some mercury thermometers but so say they are not patient enough to wait 10minutes for a temperature reading.
 

schultz

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This is largely why I don't check temperature, because I don't trust generic digital thermometers and never got around to getting something better. Accuracy seems important when we are talking about 0.2 degrees or something difference. If someone takes their temperature with a junky digital thermometer and it comes out at 97.5 when in actuality it's 98, they might start thinking they actually have a problem even if they don't. Just seems silly to put my faith in such a device (I work with tools for my job so I have a natural disdain for poor quality tools). Combine this with the slight differences in readings between various parts of the body and it is even less accurate. Just moving a thermometer from one part of my mouth to another changes the reading. I need consistency and if I am comparing numbers to other people or set standards then I need accuracy as well.

Found this study comparing digital and galinstan and mercury.

Galinstan thermometer is more accurate than digital for the measurement of body temperature in children. - PubMed - NCBI

"When considering children with a temperature of 39°C or higher, the false-negative rate was 65.4% with DT and 30.8% with GT."

So the digital thermometer (and these are medical quality I assume) diagnosed the children under 39 degrees incorrectly 65.4% of the time compared to a mercury thermometer. That seems like an awfully high percentage to me.
 
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Kunstruct

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I have seen this at a doctor, the temp was too low for what they imagined should be right, and kept remeasuring it until the temperature appeared more right to the judgment of the person. This was for a digital thermometer.
This sort of approach is just fishing for a temperature you agree with, not really measuring temperature.


I see this manufacturer recommends at least 4 minutes axillary for Galinstan
http://www.livingnetwork.co.za/files/geratherm_mercury-free_thermometer.pdf
 

Kingpinguin

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Wouldnt an infra red thermometer be able to measure inside the mouth quite accurate and fast. I mean heat in the back of the mouth should closely reflect body temperature?

 

cyclops

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I guess even if it is not 100% accurate (which sucks) it can still be useful to know in what direction you are moving, which you can do if you are always using the same thermometer in the same way. Like if I wake up at 97 and then play around with some factors and get it up to waking at 97.6 at least I know I moved up .6 degrees. Now I could have really went from 97.3 to 97.9 and I wouldn't know, but at least I know I am heading in the right direction. I think combing this with how you feel can be useful even if not 100% accurate.
 
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I’m not a thermometer specialist but I have been quite consistent with making sure I measure the same way every time orally with my digital thermometer: I push the tip all the way to the back of my mouth, next to my tongue and keep it there. I take 2-3 measurements at a time to make sure I get the same reading or close enough reading. Just sticking it in your mouth willy nilly will yield inconsistent and inaccurate results. Sticking it as far back as you can in the same spot every time and breathing through your nose, and not shifting around inside your mouth will make it a much more accurate and consistent reading.
 

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