Temperature Measurement Techniques in Clinical Settings

Accurate assessment of body temperature is essential for diagnosis, monitoring and infection control. Traditional contact methods such as rectal or oral thermometry remain gold standards for core temperature but may be invasive or slow. Non-contact infrared thermometers offer rapid screening, while infrared thermography provides spatial temperature mapping for clinical and mass-screening applications. Tympanic thermometry captures radiant heat from the ear canal to approximate core temperature. Emerging wearable and smartphone-based sensors enable continuous and remote monitoring, with implications for personalised medicine and early detection of complications. Each approach balances trade-offs between accuracy, ease of use, patient comfort and infection risk, and ongoing research seeks to optimise protocols, standardise performance tests and integrate advanced data analysis for improved reliability in diverse clinical scenarios.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A landmark clinical evaluation examined six models of non-contact infrared thermometers in over a thousand adult subjects, comparing readings with reference oral measurements. Results revealed substantial model-to-model variability, with clinical bias ranging from under-reporting by nearly 0.9 °C to over-reporting by 0.2 °C and individual errors spanning −3 to +2 °C. Sensitivity for detecting fevers above 38 °C varied widely, and up to 52% of readings fell outside manufacturers’ accuracy claims. These findings underscore the necessity for independent validation of non-contact devices and careful selection of screening thresholds in healthcare and public settings.

Temperature Measurement Techniques in Clinical Settings publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in temperature measurement techniques in clinical settings across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Infrared Thermometry: Measurement of emitted infrared radiation from the skin surface to estimate temperature without contact.

Non-contact Infrared Thermometer (NCIT): A handheld sensor that detects infrared energy from the body to provide rapid temperature readings for screening.

Infrared Thermography: Imaging technique that captures temperature distributions across a surface, producing visual thermograms for clinical assessment.

Tympanic Thermometry: Technique measuring infrared emission from the tympanic membrane to approximate core body temperature.

Core Body Temperature: Temperature of internal organs and deep tissues, critical for assessing metabolic and thermoregulatory status.

References

1. Clinical evaluation of non-contact infrared thermometers. Scientific Reports (2021).
2. Thermographic images for screening oral health problems in older adults: A pilot study. Journal of Dentistry (2024).
3. Noncontact Body Temperature Measurement: Uncertainty Evaluation and Screening Decision Rule to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19. Sensors (2021).
4. Clinical evaluation of fever-screening thermography: impact of consensus guidelines and facial measurement location. Journal of Biomedical Optics (2020).