An Evaluation of the Implications of Thermography within the Healthcare Setting

Abstract

Thermography has developed rapidly over the past fifty years; it has been refined into a sophisticated tool to measure temperature that may be used anywhere owing to the reduction in size of the apparatus used. This technique has also been used industrially to ensure product quality. However, for over fifty years this technology has been employed in medical research studies as it is a non-invasive tool that can be used to study human skin temperature (Ring 2010). The body’s physiological mechanisms yield heat and temperature variations may indicate the presence of disease (Gatt et al. 2015). Thermography is not a tool that requires a skilled technician, nor is it a test that needs to be applied physically to the desired area. It is a simple test can be performed by a simple click of a button and the subject’s temperature readings can be uploading on the manufacturer’s software (Jones 1998). Repeatability of this test has been applied with successful results (Balbinot et al. 2013). Over the past year, MCAST students in several faculties have observed first-hand the application of thermography as an indication of disease, making using the thermographic camera available on campus. Students from various disciplines could see how the heat-detecting camera being used for disease detection in addition to its applications in engineering, construction, and food technology. Using this research science and technology were linked to enhance the students’ learning experience and make them aware of a fresh approach on how humans can benefit from modern engineering in relation to health. The applications of thermography for disease detection and the understanding of its use is of the utmost importance for students following health-related courses, since thermography is a tool that may soon be available locally as research brings forth new beneficial practices in medicine. This paper appraises the importance of this tool within the health-care setting.