Studying the Accuracy and Function of Different Thermometry Techniques for Measuring Body Temperature

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine which thermometry technique is the most accurate for regular measurement of body temperature. We compared seven different commercially available thermometers with a gold standard medical-grade thermometer (Welch-Allyn): four digital infrared thermometers (Wellworks, Braun, Withings, MOBI), one digital sublingual thermometer (Braun), one zero heat flux thermometer (3M), and one infrared thermal imaging camera (FLIR One). Thirty young healthy adults participated in an experiment that altered core body temperature. After baseline measurements, participants placed their feet in a cold-water bath while consuming cold water for 30 min. Subsequently, feet were removed and covered with a blanket for 30 min. Throughout the session, temperature was recorded every 10 min with all devices. The Braun tympanic thermometer (left ear) had the best agreement with the gold standard (mean error: 0.044 °C). The FLIR One thermal imaging camera was the least accurate device (mean error: −0.522 °C). A sign test demonstrated that all thermometry devices were significantly different than the gold standard except for the Braun tympanic thermometer (left ear). Our study showed that not all temperature monitoring techniques are equal, and suggested that tympanic thermometers are the most accurate commercially available system for the regular measurement of body temperature.

Agreement of infrared ear temperature with nasopharyngeal temperature and diagnostic performance on hypothermia in general anesthetized patients

“…5 Due to its noninvasive, convenient, hygienic, and quick nature, the infrared ear thermometer has been widely applied in clinical practice. [6][7][8] However, it is rarely used for intraoperative temperature monitoring, as its accuracy remains controversial. [11][12][13] Recently, Mah et al 7 compared seven different commercially available thermometers and found that the infrared ear thermometer was the most accurate device for the regular measurement of body temperature; conversely, Mogensen et al 14 found that although the infrared ear thermometer was able to detect fever (defined as ≥38°C rectally) using a cut point of 37.5°C, it was not accurate enough to measure the exact temperature in an adult emergency department population.…”

“…Assuming that a difference of <0.2°C between measurements of the two temperatures would be clinically insignificant, 7 with a sample size of 26 achieves 90% power to detect a mean of paired differences of 0.2°C with an estimated standard deviation (SD) of 0.3°C and with a significance level (α) of 0.05, using a two-sided paired t test. We recruited 50 patients to compensate for possible losses and protocol violations.…”

“…5,6 Due to its noninvasive, convenient, and quick sampling, an infrared ear thermometer has been widely applied in clinical practice, including in outpatient clinics, general wards, and emergency departments. [6][7][8] However, little data on its accuracy and feasibility for intraoperative thermometry are available. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the agreement between infrared ear temperature and nasopharyngeal temperature and the diagnostic performance of infrared ear temperature on intraoperative hypothermia in patients under general anesthesia.…”

Allocation of thermal imaging camera: Promoting efficient movement in entrepreneur workplace

“…There are many different types of body temperature scanners in the market such as digital thermometer, digital ear thermometer, forehead thermometer, thermal camera, mercury thermometer etc. (Mah et al 2021). Thermal imaging camera (TIC) is one of the applications based on the proven technology -infrared thermography, it provides effective real-life temperature monitoring of an objects in contactless way (Bagavathiappan et al 2013).…”

Assessment of Alternative Body Points for Temperature Screening As Precautionary Screening During the Pandemic Using Infrared Thermometry

“…Although temperature screening is not an effective way to avert an epidemic due to its low specificity, it can likely be used as part of a primary screening because of its increased sensitivity. This could be due to inadequate instrumentation and calibration methods and a lack of acceptable, regularly executed standardised deployment and screening procedures [ 5 , 6 ].…”