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LIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM. A precise and accurate measurement of body core temperature is
essential in order to determine the presence of fever. Rectal temperature has traditionally been considered
to be the best approximation of core temperature and is still the gold standard when an accurate
measurement is required. Taking a rectal temperature is, however, uncomfortable and time-consuming so
the idea of measuring core temperature by infrared ear thermometry has gained wide acceptance. It is
estimated that 64 per cent of pediatricians and 65 per cent of family physicians in the USA now use an
infrared ear thermometer to measure temperature with the practice being particularly widespread when it
comes to children.
Medical researchers at the University of Liverpool have just completed a review of 31 studies (involving
4441 individuals [75 per cent children]) aimed at evaluating the correlation between infrared ear temperature
and standard rectal temperature. The infrared ear thermometers all had an electronic feature that adjusted
the actual measurement to correspond to a rectal temperature. The researchers found that the rectal
temperature calculated from infrared ear thermometry was on average 0.29 degrees C (0.46 degrees F)
lower than the actual rectal temperature. However, the extent of discrepancy was quite wide. For example,
for a true rectal temperature of 38 degrees C, the "rectal temperature" measured at the ear could be
anywhere between 37.0 and 39.2 degrees C. The researchers conclude that in children infrared ear
thermometry cannot be used as an accurate approximation of rectal temperature.
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