National Body Temperature Measurement Group
The National Body Temperature Measurement Group (NBTMG) is a collaboration of clinicians, researchers, scientists, and engineers, who want to improve how body temperature is measured and used. We know that clinical thermometers aren’t always as accurate as they ought to be.
We believe that temperature measurement, done well, will drive healthcare improvement in areas such as:
- Pandemic preparedness
- Early identification of serious infections and sepsis
- Hospital to community monitoring
We are determined to improve the accuracy of clinical thermometry in the NHS and more widely, and ensure it is used correctly for diagnosis, screening and monitoring of disease.
Improving Clinical Thermometry
Modern thermometers, though safer, aren't always accurate.
We aim to improve how these devices are used and interpreted so people get the most reliable readings and clinicians make better decisions. We're also working to define what really counts as an “abnormal” temperature, recognising that this varies from person to person.
Current Research Areas
We’re running pilot studies in areas such as:
- Using thermometers and thermal imagers to detect early fever in pandemics
- Testing thermometer accuracy in clinical settings
- Improving temperature monitoring in cancer and sepsis patients
- Understanding how measurement errors affect patient outcomes
We're actively seeking funding to expand this work.
Public & Patient Involvement
We have run focus groups to learn how people use thermometers at home and what matters most to them. We have also gathered personal stories where inaccurate readings had real consequences. This feedback helps shape our research priorities and show funders why this work matters.
Project members
External Project Members
Prof Graham Machin, National Physical Laboratory
Dr Rob Simpson, National Physical Laboratory
Prof Mark Tooley, University of Bath, Healthcare Technologies Consultant
Dr Clair Merriman, Oxford University Hospital Foundation Trust and Oxford Brookes University
Dr Chris Hacking, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Prof David Brettle, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (corresponding member)
Interested in collaborating with us?
We would love to hear from you! Please email susannah.fleming@phc.ox.ac.uk
Real Stories
Martin’s story — the impact of missed sepsis:
Outputs
Expected Impact
We hope to improve how body temperature is measured and used in health and social care. Improved body temperature measurement will help with better identifying serious infections, which could help save lives and avoid unnecessary treatment.
We aim to have better fever screening tools available for any future pandemic to slow the spread of infection by reliably detecting infected individuals, thus giving additional time for lateral flow tests and vaccines to be developed.