Thermal screening COVID Manuscript.pdf (562.04 kB)
Download fileThe effectiveness of non‐contact thermal screening as a means of identifying cases of Covid‐19: a rapid review of the evidence.
journal contribution
posted on 20.11.2020, 09:15 authored by Karen Cardwell, Karen Jordan, Paula Byrne, Susan SmithSusan Smith, Patricia Harrington, Mairin Ryan, Michelle O'NeillThe aim of this rapid review is to summarise the evidence on
non‐contact thermal screening as a method through which to identify cases and
reduce the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid‐19). The rapid review was
conducted in accordance with Cochrane guidelines, with a systematic search of
published peer‐reviewed articles and non‐peer‐reviewed pre‐prints undertaken
from 1 January 2000 up to 7 October 2020. Eleven studies were included. One
observational study and two mathematical modelling studies were conducted in
the context of the Covid‐19 pandemic; the remaining studies were conducted
during the influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (n ¼ 7) or middle east respiratory
syndrome (n ¼ 1) pandemics. One systematic review and three rapid reviews were
identified and screened for relevant studies. Evidence on the effectiveness of
thermal screening contained within this review was limited to points of entry
(i.e., airports); thus the applicability to other community settings is
uncertain. Thermal screening, implemented as part of a composite of screening
measures (self‐report of relevant symptoms, contact/travel history), was
ineffective in identifying infectious individuals and limiting the spread of
disease. Based on limited, low certainty evidence, non‐contact thermal
screening is ineffective in limiting the spread of Covid‐19.
Funding
Health Research Board. (HRB‐CICER‐2016‐1871)
History
Comments
The original article is available at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.comPublished Citation
Cardwell K, Jordan K, Byrne P, Smith SM, Harrington P, Ryan M, O'Neill M. The effectiveness of non‐contact thermal screening as a means of identifying cases of Covid‐19: a rapid review of the evidence. Reviews in Medical Virology. 2020;e2192.Publication Date
7 November 2020External DOI
Department/Unit
- General Practice
Research Area
- Population Health and Health Services
Publisher
WileyVersion
- Accepted Version (Postprint)