Liquid crystal forehead temperature strips. A clinical appraisal.

We recently compared two brands of liquid crystal temperature strips, designed for application to the forehead, Clinitemp and Fever Scan, with recently calibrated rectal and oral glass thermometers in 134 children. The Clinitemp identified as febrile nine (28%) of 33 children who had fever verified by a glass thermometer. Five of seven children less than 2 years of age with rectal temperatures of 38.9 degree C or higher were identified as afebrile by the Clinitemp. The Fever Scan identified as febrile 26 (79%) of 33 children who had fever verified by a glass thermometer. One of six children less than 2 years of age with rectal temperatures of 38.9 degree C or higher was identified as afebrile by the Fever Scan. Parents who rely on these strips to identify a fever in their children may be misled by an erroneous afebrile reading.