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Body Core Temperature Assessment in Emergency Care Departments
Hein A M Daanen1, Gercora Hoitinga2, David J Kruijt2
1Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Infrared thermometers in emergency departments (EDs) may not accurately reflect core body temperature. While not reliable for exercise, they can screen for fever in EDs if the threshold is lowered to 37.5°C.
Area of Science:
- Medical Devices
- Thermometry
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Concerns exist regarding the accuracy of infrared thermometry devices in emergency departments (EDs) for measuring core body temperature.
- Infrared thermometers are widely used in EDs, but their reliability in reflecting true body core temperature is questioned.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of three commonly used infrared thermometers in an emergency department setting.
- To compare temperature readings from infrared thermometers against rectal temperature measurements.
Main Methods:
- Three infrared thermometers (two ear, one forehead) were evaluated.
- Calibration was performed using a Voltcraft IRS-350 device.
- Temperature comparisons were made against rectal end-exercise temperature (T-RECT) in 12 participants and against rectal temperature in 133 ED patients.
Main Results:
- Infrared thermometers showed varying degrees of underestimation or overestimation compared to radiant temperature during calibration.
- All tested thermometers underestimated core body temperature during exercise.
- In the ED setting, ear thermometers underestimated T-RECT, while the forehead thermometer showed a nonsignificant overestimation. Setting the fever threshold to 37.5°C improved sensitivity and specificity.
Conclusions:
- The investigated infrared thermometers are not reliable for measuring radiant temperature or assessing core body temperature during exercise.
- These devices may serve as screening tools for fever in emergency care settings when a threshold of 37.5°C is used.
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