Comparative Analysis of Human Body Temperatures Measured with Noncontact and Contact Thermometers

Abstract

Body temperature measurement is one of the basic methods in clinical diagnosis. The problems of thermometry—interpretation of the accuracy and repeatability of various types of thermometers—are still being discussed, especially during the current pandemic in connection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for causing the COVID-19 disease. The aim of the study was to compare surface temperatures of the human body measured by various techniques, in particular a noncontact thermometer (infrared) and contact thermometers (mercury, mercury-free, electronic). The study included 102 randomly selected healthy women and men (age 18–79 years). The Bland–Altman method was used to estimate the 95% reproducibility coefficient, i.e., to assess the degree of conformity between different attempts. Temperatures measured with contact thermometers in the armpit are higher than temperatures measured without contact at the frontal area of the head. The methods used to measure with contact thermometers and a noncontact infrared thermometer statistically showed high measurement reliability. In order to correctly interpret the result of measuring human body temperature, it is necessary to indicate the place of measurement and the type of thermometer used.