Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026
Infrared Thermography for the Detection of Changes in Brown Adipose Tissue Activity
Published on: September 28, 2022
Clinical performance of infrared consumer-grade thermometers
Patricia A Hamilton1, Rajesh S Kasbekar, Robert Monro
1ClinStat Consulting LLC., USA.
Background And Purpose:
Technology of ear infrared (IR) thermometers has improved. This study compared a modern ear thermometer to forehead or temporal artery thermometers.
Methods:
Temperatures were measured with a heated-tip ear thermometer, a temporal artery thermometer, 3 forehead thermometers, and a thermistor-based reference thermometer in monitor mode.
Results:
In 171 subjects, mean bias with the forehead thermometers was significantly higher (p < .001) than with the ear thermometer (0.01 degrees C +/- 0.41 degrees C). In 64 febrile subjects, bias with the ear thermometer was significantly lower than with 3 of the other thermometers. A false-negative reading was less likely with the ear thermometer (8%) versus the others (55%, 56%, 28%, and 47%).
Conclusions:
Modem ear thermometry provides more precise measurements closer to those of a reference thermometer and is less likely to give false-negative readings than forehead or temporal artery measurements.
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