TITLE:
Comparative Thermometery in Paediatric Age Group: Is the Non-Touch Infrared Thermometer (NTIT) Reading Comparable to Regular Mercury-in-Glass Thermometer (MIGT) Reading?
AUTHORS:
Yetunde Olasinde, Moninuola Ernest, Gbenga Popoola, Kolade Ernest
KEYWORDS:
Axillary Mercury-in-Glass Thermometer, Forehead Non-Touch Infra-Red Thermometer, Bland-Altman
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.8 No.4,
November
15,
2018
ABSTRACT: Background: Accurate temperature measurement is a critical step in evaluating health
or disease especially in children and immmunocompromised subjects; inaccurate measurement may lead to
improper diagnosis, wrong treatment or inappropriate intervention. Several
methods of temperature measurements exist and comparing these gives room
for choosing a near ideal method in terms of speed, safety and accuracy. The
study aimed to compare the forehead non touch infra-red thermometer with the
axilllary mercury-in-glass method of temperature measurement in the Paediatric
age-group. Methods: Study was given ethical approval as part of a larger
study. Four hundred and thirty seven children aged 1 to 24 months were studied
at the well-baby/immunizationclinic of the University of Ilorin Teaching
Hospital over a 6-months period. Both non-touch infrared and theregular mercury-in-glass thermometers were used to take the body temperatures. Data
were analysed with SPSS version 21. Pearson correlation was used to determine
the relationship between the two methods of temperature measurements, while
Bland-Altman method was used to test for level of agreement between them. Results: The mean age and SD was 5.81 ± 4.04 months. Pearson correlation showed a
positive correlation between the axillary
mercury-in-glass and forehead non-touch infra-red thermometry readings (r = 0.281, p ). Also, Bland-Altman method revealed a good agreement between both methods of thermometry
as 96% of the readings were within the limits of agreement. Mean difference was
0.09°C (95% confidence interval 0.05 - 0.13). Conclusion: Axillary mercury-in-glass
thermometer and forehead non touch
infra-red thermometers have a good agreement and can be used interchangeably.