P3.C049: Advancing patient care: continuous wireless temperature monitoring using TempTraq® in paediatric inpatients

Background: Developments in wireless medical monitoring have enhanced the availability of real-time data and patient comfort. Wireless continuous thermometers are now increasingly commercially available as an alternative to invasive continuous thermometers. There is a growing role for such devices in the ward setting following the COVID-19 pandemic and staffing limitations, from which vital signs observations are delayed or missed. The delayed identification of temperature changes consequently has a significant impact on clinical outcomes. In the paediatric population, patient comfort and reduced disruption to rest is a priority to patients and guardians. TempTraq® patches are non-invasive thermometers applied to the axillary region which continuously monitor body temperature. They have the unique ability to transmit readings to electronic devices via Bluetooth®, allowing the participation of patients and guardians in their care. Similar continuous wireless thermometers have been studied primarily in the adult population with promising results.

Methods: We conducted a method-comparison study over one year comparing TempTraq® thermometer readings to tympanic thermometers in patients admitted to an Australian tertiary paediatric hospital. Patients aged 1 to 17 years admitted as inpatients to the hospital between March to August 2022 with an anticipated admission duration of minimum 72 hours were eligible. Participants wore TempTraq® patches for the duration of their admission. TempTraq® patch readings were compared to 4 – 6 hourly tympanic thermometer readings taken by the nurses as part of standard clinical practice. Guardian and participants were surveyed with a questionnaire investigating the device’s tolerability and satisfaction.

Results: Of 100 enrolled participants, 74 participants were included for analysis as they had worn the patch for a minimum of six hours. Bland-Altman analysis of the 810 paired TempTraq® and tympanic temperature readings showed the mean difference to be -0.39 °C (1.07) and the 95% limits of agreement between -2.49 °C to 1.71 °C. Across 62 febrile events in the cohort, 31 picked up by the TempTraq® were missed altogether by the tympanic thermometer due to occurring in between observation periods. There were high satisfaction ratings across participants and guardians with TempTraq®.

Conclusion: TempTraq® patch readings are clinically comparable to tympanic temperature readings. Paediatric patients and guardians support the use of TempTraq® patches to monitor body temperature during admission. By continuously monitoring temperature, wireless thermometers may allow treating teams to respond to temperature events faster and save nursing time as they do not need to perform regular peripheral measurements. These may result in cost-savings and improved patient outcomes for hospitals.