Name The Types Of Clinical Thermometer Which Are Used In Hospitals?

There are a number of clinical thermometers that are used in hospitals. These thermometers are sometimes known as medical thermometers. The most common types of thermometers used in hospitals are:

• Liquid filled thermometers

These thermometers are the traditional types of thermometers and up until recently were the most commonly used. There are two liquids that are used in these types of thermometers, mercury and alcohol. The alcohol used in alcohol filled thermometers is usually colored, and these are used to take the temperatures of different parts of the body.

Mercury thermometers were once considered to be the most reliable and accurate form of thermometer. However, the thermometers are not used as frequently as they once were due to fears of the thermometers becoming damaged. Mercury is a poisonous liquid and it was felt that electronic thermometers were just as reliable.

• Electronic thermometers

There are two distinct types of electronic thermometers, contact and remote. Contact thermometers use an electronic sensor, which is placed in the location where the temperature is being taken from. These thermometers are quicker to reach the equilibrium needed than the mercury thermometers that used to be most popular.

Remote thermometers work using infrared sensors that respond to the radiation emitted from the location where the temperature is being taken. These thermometers are classed as the safest to use, as there is little chance of cross-infection between patients.

• Basal thermometers

These thermometers are used to measure the base body temperature of patients. Most thermometers that are used for this procedure are digital and are larger than other thermometers due to their extra features.
Thermometers are generally used in a number of areas to register the temperature of a patient. The most common areas for them to be used are in the mouth, the rectum and the ear.