Effect of ambient temperature and attachment method on surface temperature measurements

Accurate measurement of skin surface temperature is essential in both thermo-physiological and clinical applications. However, a literature review of the last two decades of physiological or clinical research revealed an inconsistency or a lack of information on how temperature sensors were attached to the skin surface. The purpose of this study was to systematically compare and quantify the performance of different commercially available temperature sensors and their typical attachment methods, and, secondly, to provide a time-efficient and reliable method for testing any sensor-tape combination. In conclusion, both the sensor type and the attachment method influenced the results of temperature measurements (both its absolute and relative dimensions). The sensor shape and the contact of its sensing area to the surface, as well as the conductance of the tape were the most important parameters to minimise the influence of environmental conditions on surface temperature measurement. These results suggest that temperature sensors and attachment methods for human subject and manikin trials should be selected carefully, with a systematic evaluation of the sensor-tape system under conditions of use, and emphasise the need to report these parameters in publications.