Health Thermometer Reviews

Braun Ear Thermometer - ThermoScan IRT 3020

The Braun ThermoScan IRT 3020 ear thermometer is one of the most popular home medical thermometers that is available on the market. However, as with most electronic personal health devices, it is quite difficult to find objective reviews that are available on the internet.

Consumer Reports in October 2005 surveyed thermometers, but the results are provided only to subscribers.

Braun’s own promotional material for the ThermoScan ear thermometer states:

Braun ThermoScan ear thermometer offers you peace of mind that you are taking your child’s temperature in both a gentle and accurate way.

It's tough enough being sick. So taking a temperature should not make you feel any worse. Thanks to infrared technology, Braun ThermoScan ear thermometers gently take a temperature in just seconds by measuring the heat generated by the eardrum and surrounding tissue.

Braun ThermoScan is the thermometer brand most used by pediatricians* (*based on surveys of pediatricians in the United States). It is also number one among mothers, being used by more mothers than any other infrared thermometer brand.

* Get the Latest Price on the Braun ThermoScan IRT 3020 ear thermometer.

One of the concerns for potential buyers is the accuracy of ear thermometers. In a press release for its October 2005 survey, Consumer Reports said:

The more expensive ear thermometers take a reading in just one second. However, Consumer Reports found the readings might not be reliable. "An ear thermometer has to be inserted at just the right angle to get an accurate reading and there is no way of knowing that you've got it right. So it's very easy to get an incorrect temperature," said [Kim] Kleman [of Consumer Reports].

In a lengthy article entitled “Accuracy,” Braun says about its ThermoScan ear thermometer:

The ear temperature measured with Braun ThermoScan is an excellent indicator of changes in core body temperature. Since their introduction, more than 30 clinical studies have been performed to verify the accuracy of the ThermoScan ear thermometer. Studies have been conducted both in adult and pediatric intensive care units, post-anesthesia units and doctors' offices. Ear temperatures have been compared to core body temperatures measured in the pulmonary artery, bladder and esophagus, and with contact tympanic membrane temperatures. However, as with any thermometer, proper technique is the key to obtain accurate readings. Therefore please take the time to read the manual.