MEasuring TemperatuRe In Children: METRIC
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Non-contact infrared thermometers for measuring body temperature in acutely ill children: a method comparison study
IRAS ID
215219
Contact name
Jan Verbakel
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
2016-005196-27, EudraCT
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 31 days
Research summary
Fever in young children is very common, and doctors measure a child’s temperature to decide whether the child can be kept at home or needs to go in to hospital. National guidelines recommend using a digital thermometer in the armpit or an infrared thermometer in the ear. However, both of these types of thermometers can be difficult to use in unwell children. A new thermometer, the non-contact infrared thermometer, can measure temperature quickly without touching the child but there is not enough research evidence to recommend their widespread use.
In this study we aim to assess whether non-contact thermometers are as good at measuring temperature as digital armpit or infrared ear thermometers. We will also compare their ability to detect a fever and the number of times they fail to work with these standard types. We will ask parents and children what they think about the different types of thermometers, and interview some parents in more detail about this within 1 month after consultation by phone.
Since some non-contact thermometers are much more expensive than others, we will assess two brands: the Thermofocus, (£125), and a cheaper brand that is widely available. We will recruit 533 children across England who have come to see their GP or consult out-of-hours services because they have recently become unwell with a problem which was not an injury. Each child will have their temperature measured with 4 different devices: 2 non-contact, 1 digital and 1 ear thermometer. We will aim to do this before their GP appointment, so that the GP can make use of our temperature measurement when they assess the child. We will ask the regular GP to check GP records for health outcomes and healthcare usage during follow-up. The study is funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme.REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/SC/0068
Date of REC Opinion
4 Mar 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion