Exergen Will Replace Inaccurate Oral/Rectal Thermometers in Healthcare Facilities 

The newly published Bhavani paper [1] contains an egregious error that puts Black people at risk, incorrectly stating that temporal artery thermometers miss fevers in Black patients. A subsequently published JAMA study from Pompei et al [2] rebuts the Bhavani findings and proves that oral/rectal thermometers, not temporal artery, miss fevers in Black people, putting them at a high health risk. Exergen is the first and only thermometer inventor to recognize this problem and design a thermometer that does not miss fevers in Black patients. It is imperative to correct this bias as quickly as possible to provide high quality healthcare to Black patients who are placed at risk by the error the Pompei JAMA study revealed.

“Equity in healthcare is non-negotiable and this egregious error in scientific research and reporting must be rectified,” says Exergen CEO Francesco Pompei, Ph.D. “Since day one, we have been intentional in our product development and design to ensure 100 percent accuracy in all patient groups. We set the gold standard, which is why our TAT-5000 temporal artery thermometer is used in more than half of U.S. hospitals. Now we are working hand in hand with healthcare facilities to ensure that every hospital can take an accurate temperature, no matter the patient.”

Backed by 117 peer-reviewed, published clinical studies, Exergen’s TemporalScanner thermometers are used in a wide range of medical settings, including pediatric units, clinics, hospitals, and long-term care facilities. It is the #1 preferred thermometer of hospitals, nurses and pediatricians and is used in more than half of all U.S. hospitals.

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[1] Bhavani SV, Wiley Z, Verhoef PA, Coopersmith CM, Ofotokun I. Racial differences in detection of fever using temporal vs oral temperature measurements in hospitalized patients. JAMA. 2022;328(9):885-886 (Sep 6, 2022). doi:10.1001/jama.2022.12290

[2]Pompei, F., & Pompei, M. (2023). Racial Differences in Detection of Fever Using Temporal vs Oral Temperature Measurements. JAMA, 329(4), 342-342 Jan 24, 2023.

Part Number 850105