Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42920158›Full record

ArticleAntimicrobial resistance and infection control2026

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

Akira Yokoyama, Koh Okamoto, Kiyora Yamashita, Akihisa Mitani, Sohei Harada, Taro Ishimori, Hirokazu Urushiyama, Goh Tanaka, Daisuke Jubishi, Hideki Hashimoto and 5 more

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Article in Antimicrobial resistance and infection control, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Akira Yokoyama *Department of Respiratory Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Koh Okamoto *Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. kohokamoto.idp@gmail.com.
Kiyora YamashitaProfessional Development Center, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Akihisa MitaniDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Sohei HaradaDepartment of Infection Control and Prevention, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Taro IshimoriDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Hirokazu UrushiyamaDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Goh TanakaDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Daisuke JubishiDepartment of Infectious Diseases, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Hideki HashimotoDepartment of Infectious Diseases, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Kiyoshi MiyagawaLaboratory of Molecular Radiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Takeya TsutsumiDepartment of Infectious Diseases, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Kyoji MoriyaDepartment of Infectious Diseases, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Hidenori KageDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Takahide NagaseDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

Funding

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science grant number 26K20445
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo 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.

methodsWe 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.

resultsOf 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).

conclusionsThe 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.

Indexed as

COVID-19FeverMass ScreeningThermographyAdultAgedFemaleHumansInfrared RaysMaleMiddle AgedOutpatientsRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Tertiary Care CentersCOVID-19Fever screeningInfection controlNosocomial transmissionThermography

Identifiers

PMID42920158

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.