Temperature Screening for SARS-CoV-2 in Nursing Homes: Evidence from Two National Cohorts.

Kevin W McConeghy Elizabeth M WhiteOrestis A PanagiotouChristopher SantostefanoChristopher HalladayRichard A FeiferCarolyn BlackmanJames L RudolphVince MorStefan Gravenstein

Published in: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2020)

A definition of 38.0°C for fever in NH screening tools should be lowered to improve predictive accuracy for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Stakeholders should carefully consider the impact of adopting lower testing thresholds on testing availability, cost, and burden on staff and residents. Temperatures alone have relatively low sensitivity/specificity, and we advocate any threshold be used as part of a screening tool, along with other signs and symptoms of infection.

Keyphrases

sars cov
respiratory syndrome coronavirus
quality improvement
room temperature
risk factors
depressive symptoms