Studying the accuracy of infrared thermography for measuring core body temperature

Aaron Mah; Leili Ghazi Zadeh; Mahta Khoshnam Tehrani; Shahbaz Askari; Babak Shadgan

doi:10.1117/12.2608929

2 March 2022 Studying the accuracy of infrared thermography for measuring core body temperature

Aaron Mah, Leili Ghazi Zadeh, Mahta Khoshnam Tehrani, Shahbaz Askari, Babak Shadgan

Proceedings Volume 11956, Biophotonics in Exercise Science, Sports Medicine, Health Monitoring Technologies, and Wearables III; 119560E (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2608929
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2022, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of infrared thermography for measuring body temperature. We compared a commercially available infrared thermal imaging camera (FLIR One) with a medical-grade oral thermometer (Welch-Allyn) as a gold standard. Measurements using the thermal imaging camera were taken from both a short distance (10cm) and long distance (50cm) from the subject. Thirty young healthy adults participated in a study that manipulated body temperature. After establishing a baseline, participants lowered their body temperature by placing their feet in a cold-water bath for 30 minutes while consuming cold water. Feet were then removed and covered with a blanket for 30 minutes as body temperature returned to baseline. During the course of the 70-minute experiment, body temperature was recorded at a 10-minute interval. The thermal imaging camera demonstrated a significant temperature difference from the gold standard from both close range (mean error: +0.433°C) and long range (mean error: +0.522°C). Despite demonstrating potential as a fast and non-invasive method for temperature screening, our results indicate that infrared thermography does not provide an accurate measurement of body temperature. As a result, infrared thermography is not recommended for use as a fever screening device.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Aaron Mah, Leili Ghazi Zadeh, Mahta Khoshnam Tehrani, Shahbaz Askari, and Babak Shadgan "Studying the accuracy of infrared thermography for measuring core body temperature", Proc. SPIE 11956, Biophotonics in Exercise Science, Sports Medicine, Health Monitoring Technologies, and Wearables III, 119560E (2 March 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2608929

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available