Thermal Imaging in Old and Frail in the Community
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03884218 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : March 21, 2019
Last Update Posted : March 22, 2019
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Old Age; Debility | Other: Infra red thermal imaging | Not Applicable |
Thermal comfort (TC) is a complex interaction involving physiological, social, cultural and clothing factors. In hospital and in care homes, health-issues (frailty, dementia, immobility) can affect a person's perception of TC.
In the UK 18,000 care homes provide living-communities for approximately 400,000 people. Many are old/frail and vulnerable to indoor chilling. A quality indicator for a good ''home'' environment is related to TC. However, in multiplyoccupied rooms TC varies between individuals. The challenge in health-assessment is in identifying ''uncomfortable'' residents (too hot/too cold). As TC is a subjective perception; a carer cannot reliably predict TC in another person.
The objectives are to use infra-red thermal imaging (IRTI) to 'see' the body temperature map, to demonstrate prevalence of TC/thermal discomfort, to demonstrate whether there is correspondence/dissociation between TC self-report and IRTI-measured body/extremity (hand) temperature.
The study aims to establish if TC can be predicted by an independent non-invasive imaging device
Expected achievements are a two-way pathway to health impact:
- identification of eligible adults via NHS intermediary care- and awaiting care home residency
- expert guidance and collaboration with NHS partners
- translation of results from community to NHS setting e.g. stoke/aged care medicine for improved thermal care on the hospital wards Longer-term the expected achievement (5-7 years)-working with NHS colleagues and design/product development teams is expected to lead towards a commercialisation pathway.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 39 participants |
Allocation: | N/A |
Intervention Model: | Single Group Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Supportive Care |
Official Title: | A Study to Assess Thermal Comfort of Frail Older People in a Care Home Setting. |
Actual Study Start Date : | March 7, 2017 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | October 1, 2018 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | October 1, 2018 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Thermal Comfort
Infra red thermal image
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Other: Infra red thermal imaging
thermal image using a non-touch, non-ionising, thermal camera system |
- Thermometer [ Time Frame: Baseline ]
Body Temp: degrees
whether an older persons perceptions about thermal comfort is best predicted by their body temperature from the thermometer in Degrees Centigrade. Their temp will be compared to their self reported thermal comfort.
- Thermal Imaging comparison [ Time Frame: Baseline ]whether an older persons perceptions about thermal comfort is best predicted by the image that the thermal camera provides (known as a thermal map) along with the data (temperature values) that can be extracted from the thermal image particularly over the area of interest which in this study is the hands and forearm. The thermal image will be compared to self-reported thermal comfort.

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 60 Years to 105 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
Inclusion Criteria:
Care home residents who are:
- Aged over 60 to a maximum age of 105 years
- Able to sit comfortably for up to 20 minutes without marked agitation.
- Ability to understand, read and speak English.
Exclusion Criteria:
Care home residents who are/have:
- Severe dementia
- Unable to hold a conversation
- Who do not wish to take part in the study
- Unable to speak or understand English
- Unable to sit with other residents
- Who are severely agitated or unsettled

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT03884218
United Kingdom | |
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | |
Sheffield, United Kingdom, S10 2JF |
Principal Investigator: | Charmaine Childs | Sheffield Hallam University |
Responsible Party: | Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT03884218 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
STH19634 |
First Posted: | March 21, 2019 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | March 22, 2019 |
Last Verified: | March 2019 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | Undecided |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Thermal Comfort |