Abstract
Many types of thermometers have been developed to measure body temperature. Infrared thermometers (IRT) are fast, convenient and ease to use. Two types of infrared thermometers are uses to measure body temperature: tympanic and forehead. With the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus, forehead temperature measurement is used widely to screen people for the illness. The performance of this type of device and the criteria for screening are worth studying. This study evaluated the performance of two types of tympanic infrared thermometers and an industrial infrared thermometer. The results showed that these infrared thermometers provide good precision. A fixed offset between tympanic and forehead temperature were found. The measurement values for wrist temperature show significant offsets with the tympanic temperature and cannot be used to screen fevers. The standard operating procedure (SOP) for the measurement of body temperature using an infrared thermometer was proposed. The suggestion threshold for the forehead temperature is 36 °C for screening of fever. The body temperature of a person who is possibly ill is then measured using a tympanic infrared thermometer for the purpose of a double check.
Highlights
IntroductionMost of the early methods of measuring body temperature used contact mercury thermometers
Body temperature is an indicator of human physiological activity and health, especially in pediatrics, surgery and general emergency departments [1].Most of the early methods of measuring body temperature used contact mercury thermometers.Advances in electrical technology mean that contact-type electronic thermometers have become widely used
The coefficient of variance (CV) value is less than 1.0% for tympanic temperature
Summary
Most of the early methods of measuring body temperature used contact mercury thermometers. Advances in electrical technology mean that contact-type electronic thermometers have become widely used. Some medical reports show that contact thermometers accurately measure body temperature [2,3]. To screen for an illness, the body temperature of many individuals must be measured, so noncontact type infrared thermometers (IRT) are used to measure the tympanic (ear) and forehead temperature. These IRTs are fast, convenient and safe to use. Medical IRTs for ear temperature and forehead temperature are used in medicine
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