Proper use of noncontact infrared thermometry for temperature screening during COVID-19
Open accessAbstract
Among the myriad of challenges healthcare institutions face in dealing with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), screening for the detection of febrile persons entering facilities remains problematic, particularly when paired with CDC and WHO spatial distancing guidance. Aggressive source control measures during the outbreak of COVID-19 has led to re-purposed use of noncontact infrared thermometry (NCIT) for temperature screening. This study was commissioned to establish the efficacy of this technology for temperature screening by healthcare facilities. We conducted a prospective, observational, single-center study in a level II trauma center at the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak to assess (i) method agreement between NCIT and temporal artery reference temperature, (ii) diagnostic accuracy of NCIT in detecting referent temperature [Formula: see text] and ensuing test sensitivity and specificity and (iii) technical limitations of this technology. Of 51 healthy, non-febrile, healthcare workers surveyed, the mean temporal artery temperature was [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text] confidence interval (CI) = [Formula: see text]). Mean NCIT temperatures measured from [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] distances were [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text], respectively. From statistical analysis, the only method in sufficient agreement with the reference standard was NCIT at [Formula: see text]. This demonstrated that the device offset (mean temperature difference) between these methods was [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]) with 95% of measurement differences within [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]) and [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]). By setting the NCIT screening threshold to [Formula: see text] at [Formula: see text], we achieve diagnostic accuracy with [Formula: see text] test sensitivity and specificity for temperature detection [Formula: see text] by reference standard. In comparison, reducing this screening criterion to the lower limit of the device-specific offset, such as [Formula: see text], produces a highly sensitive screening test at [Formula: see text], which may be favorable in high-risk pandemic disease. For future consideration, an infrared device with a higher distance-to-spot size ratio approaching 50:1 would theoretically produce similar results at [Formula: see text], in accordance with CDC and WHO spatial distancing guidelines.
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Indirect core body temperature evaluation can achieve a high accuracy of ±0.03 °C.
“From these data, the internal core body temperature is evaluated with a high accuracy of ±0.03 °C [129,140,146,147,148,149].”
From The Current State of Optical Sensors in Medical Wearables (2022) · cites this paper as [129]
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- Authors
- Hussain, A. S., Hussain, H. S., Betcher, N., Behm, R., & Cagir, B.
- Affiliations
- Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hussain, Amber S.
- Venue
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2021-06-04
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 11832-11832
- ISSN
- 2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8178358
- OpenAlex
- W3163985688
- Cited by
- 16
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5
- FWCI
- 1.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- 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 › Infectious Diseases › SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- Keywords
- temperature screening, COVID-19 pandemic, measurement agreement, diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity, screening thresholds, healthcare worker screening, trauma centers
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, Adult, Aged, Body Temperature, Female, Fever, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Prospective Studies, Sensitivity and Specificity, Young Adult, Thermometry
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