Expert Article: What Is A Smart Thermometer? What Are Its Uses?

The concept of a "smart city" has gained popularity in the past decade. Telecommunication engineers, in collaboration with information technology (IT) experts, have built an infrastructure that can organize, manage, and store data pertaining to all walks of life. The quality of healthcare services has miraculously improved in the process.

e-Health: Electronic health systems store a vast number of patient records and track the health routine.

m-Health: The mobile health system utilizes smartphone technology. These are phone applications that assist in health monitoring.

s-Health: Smart health combines m-Health with intelligent sensors, also called "smart sensors." Smart sensors use IT in the form of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, wearable devices, cell phones, the Internet of things (loT), and ambience assisted living (AAL). It allows access to information and the distribution of data on the go. It makes the healthcare system dynamic and available for all.

The Smart Thermometer

The pivotal part of smart health is health monitoring in continuity. A smart thermometer is a medical thermometer that can transmit its readings for storage and analysis.

In 2014, Kinsa Inc., a company based in California, unveiled the first smart thermometer ever made. The business, which specializes in health technology, was founded by an Indian.

How does a smart thermometer work?

Typically, they are forehead or ear thermometers. They operate by gauging how much heat or infrared radiation the human body emits [1].

It makes use of a pyroelectric sensor that reacts to the brief bursts of infrared heat that the eardrums emit. Another kind of sensor used is a thermopile. Thermopiles require a longer time in the ear to accurately measure an ongoing infrared heat wave.

A built-in 4-8 bit microprocessor on the thermometer converts the absorbed radiation into degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit and displays it as a number.

Smart thermometers are connected to a smartphone app. The reading is saved by the app. This smart thermometer app can connect to other health apps that offer advice for any required treatment, if necessary.

Benefits of smart thermometer:

1. Can record and store multiple readings [2].
2. Monitors the body temperature over an extended period of time.
3. Accurate readings as opposed to an oral thermometer's salivary contamination.
4. Precise diagnosis and treatment planning.
5. Useful for senior citizens who must regularly monitor their health.
6. User-friendly

Conclusion

Conventional thermometers can get the job done, but smart thermometers are your best bet if you want to take advantage of a paired app's features for health monitoring and quick consultations during times of crisis like COVID [3].