Large-scale fever screening based on infrared thermography for outpatients at tertiary medical center during COVID-19 pandemic: implementation and practical experience
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Respiratory Medicine, The University of Tokyo
- 2Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Tokyo
- 3Professional Development Center, The University of Tokyo Hospital
- 4Department of Infection Control and Prevention, The University of Tokyo
- 5Laboratory of Molecular Radiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo
Abstract
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.
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BibTeX
@article{yokoyama2026largescale,
title = {{Large-scale fever screening based on infrared thermography for outpatients at tertiary medical center during COVID-19 pandemic: implementation and practical experience}},
author = {Akira Yokoyama and Koh Okamoto and Kiyora Yamashita and Akihisa Mitani and Sohei Harada and Taro Ishimori and Hirokazu Urushiyama and Goh Tanaka and Daisuke Jubishi and Hideki Hashimoto and Kiyoshi Miyagawa and Takeya Tsutsumi and Kyoji Moriya and Hidenori Kage and Takahide Nagase},
journal = {Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s13756-026-01788-7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-026-01788-7},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Large-scale fever screening based on infrared thermography for outpatients at tertiary medical center during COVID-19 pandemic: implementation and practical experience
AU - Akira Yokoyama
AU - Koh Okamoto
AU - Kiyora Yamashita
AU - Akihisa Mitani
AU - Sohei Harada
AU - Taro Ishimori
AU - Hirokazu Urushiyama
AU - Goh Tanaka
AU - Daisuke Jubishi
AU - Hideki Hashimoto
AU - Kiyoshi Miyagawa
AU - Takeya Tsutsumi
AU - Kyoji Moriya
AU - Hidenori Kage
AU - Takahide Nagase
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control
DO - 10.1186/s13756-026-01788-7
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-026-01788-7
AB - 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.
SN - 2047-2994
ER -