Widely used in screening situations since the start of the pandemic, non-contact infrared thermometers are not always reliable for confidently retaining the presence of fever, estimates the review “Prescrire”.
- According to the review “Prescrire”, non-contact infrared thermometers are useful for confirming the absence of fever, but are not always reliable for confirming the presence of fever, especially in the context of screening for Covid-19.
Since their appearance on the market in recent years, infrared thermometers have gradually replaced electronic thermometers in medicine cabinets. Without contact, they make it possible to determine after a simple application to the forehead whether or not a person has a fever, and have proven to be particularly used in Covid-19 screening situations.
But are they really reliable? Not that much, esteem Prescribe. In a statement dated 1er September, the medical journal explains that while infrared thermometers are useful for detecting a fever, they are on the other hand “insufficient to confidently retain the presence of fever, especially in a screening situation”.
In case of suspicion of fever, favor the electronic thermometer
Prescrire relied on 13 studies involving more than 5,000 adults and children to measure the average sensitivity of non-contact infrared thermometers. It turned out that their ability to reliably determine fever “was quite low, 81% (about 20% false positives); and their average, correct specificity, 92% (8% false negatives)” .
In addition, the medical journal points out, “the average differences in body temperature measured at the level of the forehead with non-contact infrared thermometers are 0.2°C to 0.3°C compared to a measurement by the reference anorectal route”.
It is therefore preferable, “to confidently retain the presence of fever, especially in a screening situation”to favor Gallium or electronic thermometers, and which are suitable for oral, rectal or axillary use.
To avoid temperature measurement errors with an infrared thermometer, Prescribe recalls that it is necessary to ensure “that the patient’s forehead is clean, dry, free of makeup and clear”. “And to interpret the result displayed by the thermometer, it is important to inquire about the possible taking of drugs against the fever.”
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