A Look at DESE's Cited Sources: Footnote #42 - Accuracy and precision of four common peripheral temperature measurement methods in intensive care patients

DESE Claim: "As noted in previous guidance, temperature checks are not recommended as screening for all students due to the high likelihood of potential false positive and false negative results"

Cited Source: Asadian, Simin, et al. "Accuracy and precision of four common peripheral temperature measurement methods in intensive care patients." Medical Devices (Auckland, NZ) 9 (2016): 301.

Note: the DESE citation does not list a web address to access the source. I used Google to find this online version of the article.

Peer Reviewed?: Yes

Study Methodology: "observational prospective study" of 237 ICU patients' temperatures.

Notes: This study is about body temperature taking methods in ICU patients. It does not mention schools or children. This study is not COVID-19 specific (it was done in 2016). The study compares the precision and accuracy of different temperature taking methods: tympanic (ear), axillary (armpit), oral cavity (under the tongue), and forehead.  "The results showed that all the methods have enough precision for measuring body temperature. With regard to accuracy, tympanic and forehead approaches showed the highest

and lowest accuracy compared to the standard method, respectively." No conclusions about false positive and false negative results for fevers in ambulatory children are made in the article. Yes, there were some erroneous readings of thermometers, but this does not make taking temperatures useless. Most schools already have guidance in place (pre-COVID-19) saying students are to stay home if they have a fever.

Supports DESE Claim?: No.