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Objectives <p>To evaluate the clinical utility of a multi-step fever screening program using infrared thermography (IRT) for visitors to outpatient clinics at a tertiary care hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> Methods <p>We conducted a single-center, retrospective study at The University of Tokyo Hospital between January and December 2022, when the Omicron variant was predominant. Outpatient visitors underwent a three-step screening at the main entrance, including IRT, axillary temperature measurement, and physician’s evaluation. Outcomes included the number of COVID-19 cases detected, the positive predictive value (PPV) of IRT, and its association with ambient air temperature.</p> Results <p>Of 570,076 asymptomatic visitors screened by IRT, 3900 (0.7%) had a body temperature ≥ 37.0&#xa0;°C; among them, 483 (12.4%) had axillary temperatures ≥ 37.0&#xa0;°C. In total, 115 visitors (0.02%) were evaluated by physicians, and 55 underwent PCR testing, of whom 2 tested positive. The PPV of IRT was 12.4% and showed a strong correlation with ambient temperature (<i>r</i> = 0.93).</p> Conclusions <p>The overall yield of IRT-based fever screening at a tertiary hospital was minimal, with only 1 COVID-19 case detected per approximately 285,000 (2/570,076). Our findings highlight the limited clinical utility of fever-based screening and emphasize the importance of carefully considering disease characteristics, environmental factors, and resource allocation in future pandemic preparedness.</p>

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Large-scale fever screening based on infrared thermography for outpatients at tertiary medical center during COVID-19 pandemic: implementation and practical experience

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月27日

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  • Akira Yokoyama,
  • Koh Okamoto,
  • Kiyora Yamashita,
  • Akihisa Mitani,
  • Sohei Harada,
  • Taro Ishimori,
  • Hirokazu Urushiyama,
  • Goh Tanaka,
  • Daisuke Jubishi,
  • Hideki Hashimoto,
  • Kiyoshi Miyagawa,
  • Takeya Tsutsumi,
  • Kyoji Moriya,
  • Hidenori Kage,
  • Takahide Nagase

摘要

Objectives

To evaluate the clinical utility of a multi-step fever screening program using infrared thermography (IRT) for visitors to outpatient clinics at a tertiary care hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We conducted a single-center, retrospective study at The University of Tokyo Hospital between January and December 2022, when the Omicron variant was predominant. Outpatient visitors underwent a three-step screening at the main entrance, including IRT, axillary temperature measurement, and physician’s evaluation. Outcomes included the number of COVID-19 cases detected, the positive predictive value (PPV) of IRT, and its association with ambient air temperature.

Results

Of 570,076 asymptomatic visitors screened by IRT, 3900 (0.7%) had a body temperature ≥ 37.0 °C; among them, 483 (12.4%) had axillary temperatures ≥ 37.0 °C. In total, 115 visitors (0.02%) were evaluated by physicians, and 55 underwent PCR testing, of whom 2 tested positive. The PPV of IRT was 12.4% and showed a strong correlation with ambient temperature (r = 0.93).

Conclusions

The overall yield of IRT-based fever screening at a tertiary hospital was minimal, with only 1 COVID-19 case detected per approximately 285,000 (2/570,076). Our findings highlight the limited clinical utility of fever-based screening and emphasize the importance of carefully considering disease characteristics, environmental factors, and resource allocation in future pandemic preparedness.