Liquid crystal forehead temperature strips. A clinical appraisal

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Medical Devices
• Diagnostic Accuracy

Background:

• Forehead temperature strips are commonly used for fever screening in children.
• Accurate fever detection is crucial for timely medical intervention.
• Previous studies have raised concerns about the reliability of non-contact thermometers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the accuracy of two liquid crystal forehead thermometer brands, Clinitemp and Fever Scan, against calibrated glass thermometers.
• To evaluate the performance of these strips in identifying fever in pediatric patients.
• To assess the potential for misdiagnosis due to inaccurate readings.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 134 children.
• Forehead temperature strips (Clinitemp, Fever Scan) were tested against rectal and oral glass thermometers.
• Sensitivity and specificity for fever detection were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Clinitemp identified only 28% of febrile children accurately; it misclassified 5 out of 7 infants (<2 years) with high fever as afebrile.
• Fever Scan showed better accuracy, identifying 79% of febrile children, but still misclassified 1 out of 6 infants (<2 years) with high fever as afebrile.
• Both devices demonstrated significant underestimation of fever, particularly in young children.

Conclusions:

• Liquid crystal forehead thermometers (Clinitemp, Fever Scan) exhibit poor accuracy in detecting fever in children.
• Reliance on these devices can lead to a false sense of security due to erroneous afebrile readings.
• Healthcare providers and parents should exercise caution and consider using more reliable methods for fever assessment in pediatric care.