Record Status This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database. Citation Thompson L. What is the clinical and cost effectiveness of temporal artery thermometers compared with infrared in-ear thermometers for temperature measurement in routine clinical practice? Glasgow: Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Technologies scoping report 11. 2012 Authors' conclusions Summary
Evidence from a range of adult and paediatric patient groups suggests that TAT is insufficiently accurate for clinical use in inpatient settings when compared with an appropriate gold standard. Where comparison was made with rectal temperature, most studies concluded that TAT was not sufficiently accurate for detection of fever measured by rectal temperature.
Six studies comparing both TAT and IRET with various reference standards in a range of patient groups have reported inconsistent results, with four studies favouring TAT. From the published literature, it is not possible to reach firm conclusions on the relative benefits and costs of TAT compared with IRET due to the degree of heterogeneity in the reference standards and patient groups, and the lack of information on safety and cost effectiveness. Indexing Status Subject indexing assigned by CRD MeSH Body Temperatures; Temporal Arteries; Thermometers Language Published English Country of organisation Scotland English summary An English language summary is available. Address for correspondence Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Delta House, 50 West Nile Street, Glasgow, G1 2NP Tel: 0141 225 6998 Email: doreen.pedlar@nhs.net AccessionNumber 32013000483 Date abstract record published 25/06/2013 |
