A5V4d

Total undiscounted 10-year cost
(without staff costs)
Model of infrared sensing thermometer (tympanic)
TB-100 (thermo Buddy) First Temp. Genius
£1,312,001 £843,716
Discounted at 3.5% £930,102 £598,126
Comparison of costs of axilla and tympanic measurement
Health economics
Table 11.5 shows the combined results for all types of thermometer used in axilla and tympanic
measurement. It indicates that the relative cost of each type of thermometer changes depending on
whether an expensive or a cheap model is used and whether staff time is included in the cost, as the
time required to read the temperature is an important driver of total cost.
Conclusions
The cost analysis undertaken here is based on the use of thermometers on a ward of an acute
hospital. The study 85 on which this analysis is based suggests that staff time is an important driver in
determining which thermometer should be used. The analysis presented here supports this
hypothesis. The 10 year cost of a (high- and low-priced) thermometer including staff time includes
ranges between approximately £600,000 and £1,000,000 for all types of thermometers, except for the
single-use chemical thermometer which is far more expensive. The analysis incorporates a number of
assumptions about time to reading for accurate measurements, but it suggests that the initial
purchase price of thermometers can be misleading as the total cost of using a specific model of
thermometer depends on the number of uses, the cost of consumables and the staff time needed to
make an accurate reading. Clearly different clinical settings will give different results and may change
the relative cost between thermometers, making it more cost-effective to choose one type of
thermometer in a low-volume clinical setting and another in a high-volume setting. This analysis
shows that those in charge of purchasing thermometers need to consider staff costs and
consumables as well as initial purchase price when considering bulk purchases.
Table 11.5 10 year costs by thermometer, with and without staff costs, discounted at 3.5%: summary results for
both axilla and tympanic measurements
Minimum priced
model (with staff
costs)
Maximum priced
model (with staff
costs)
Minimum priced
model (without
staff costs)
Maximum priced
model (without
staff costs)
10 year cost by type of thermometer
Chemical
(single use)
Chemical
(reusable)
Electronic
contact
Compact
contact
electronic
Infrared sensing
(tympanic)
£12,856,243 £12,260,326 £758,535 £4,137,153 £1,064,403
£14,724,244 £688,596 a £1,005,780 £877,437 a £732,427 a
£769,177 £173,260 £834,153 £108,131 £930,102
£2,637,178 £371,899 £737,178 £541,865 £598,126
a Indicates a lower total discounted 10 year cost than the least expensive version of the model due either to higher cost of staff
time or consumables.
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