Comparative accuracy testing of non-contact infrared thermometers and temporal artery thermometers in an adult hospital setting
Open accessAbstract
Background NCIT are non-invasive devices for fever screening in children. However, evidence of their accuracy for fever screening in adults is lacking. This study aimed to compare the accuracy of non-contact infrared thermometers (NCIT) with temporal artery thermometers (TAT) in an adult hospital.Methods A prospective observational study was conducted on a convenience sample of non-infectious inpatients in 2 Australian hospitals. NCIT and TAT devices were used to collect body temperature recordings. Participant characteristics included age, gender, skin color, highest temperature, and antipyretic medications recorded in last 24-hour.Results In 265 patients, a mean difference of ± 0.26°C was recorded between the NCIT (36.64°C) and the reference TAT (36.90°C) temperature devices. Bland-Altman analysis showed that NCIT and TAT temperatures were closely aligned at temperatures <37.5°C, but not at temperatures >37.5°C. NCIT had low sensitivity (16.13%) at temperatures ≥37.5°C. An AUROC score of 0.67 (SD 0.05) demonstrated poor accuracy of the NCIT device at temperatures ≥37.5°C.Conclusion This is the first study to compare accuracy of NCIT thermometers to TAT in adult patients. Although mass fever screening is currently underway using NCIT, these results indicate that the NCIT may not be the most accurate device for fever mass screening during a pandemic.
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Previous studies using clinical data from hospitals and transit centers have been inconclusive regarding the use and effectiveness of NCITs as a screening method during SARS and influenza outbreaks.
“Overall, previous studies using clinical data from hospitals and transit centers have been inconclusive regarding the use and effectiveness of NCITs as a screening method during SARS and influenza outbreaks.”
From Clinical evaluation of non-contact infrared thermometers (2021) · cites this paper as [8]
The Introduction (page unavailable) says previous studies of NCIT accuracy in children reported conflicting results, and the Discussion describes differing accuracy findings across studies. The paper does not establish that those studies used clinical data from transit centers or assessed screening during SARS and influenza outbreaks. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredClinical studies have reported mixed performance in terms of NCIT accuracies.
“Although NCITs may be the primary tools for temperature screening during a pandemic, clinical studies have reported mixed performance in terms of their accuracies5–8.”
From Clinical evaluation of non-contact infrared thermometers (2021) · cites this paper as [8]
Khan et al. quantified the mean difference between NCIT and temporal artery thermometer in adults to be ±0.26 °C.
“Khan et al.8 quantified the mean difference between NCIT and temporal artery thermometer in adults to be ± 0.26 °C.”
From Clinical evaluation of non-contact infrared thermometers (2021) · cites this paper as [8]
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Dell’Isola, G. B., Cosentini, E., Canale, L., Ficco, G., & Dell’Isola, M. (2021) · Sensors · doi:10.3390/s21020346 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
Clinical evaluation of non-contact infrared thermometers
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- Authors
- Khan, S., Saultry, B., Adams, S., Kouzani, A. Z., Decker, K., Digby, R., & Bucknall, T.
- Affiliations
- Deakin University (AU)
- The Alfred Hospital (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Bucknall, Tracey
- Venue
- American Journal of Infection Control
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-05
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 597-602
- ISSN
- 0196-6553 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3090527447
- Cited by
- 49
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 4.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- American Journal of Infection Control (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Deakin Research Online (Deakin University) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Infrared Thermography in Medicine
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine › Thermal Regulation in Medicine
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Thermoregulation and physiological responses
- Keywords
- non-contact infrared thermometer, fever screening, hospitalized patients, antipyretic use, skin color, COVID-19 pandemic, hospital infection control
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Australia, Body Temperature, Child, Hospitals, Humans, Prospective Studies, Sensitivity and Specificity, Temporal Arteries, Thermometers
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