Racial Differences in Detection of Fever Using Temporal vs Oral Temperature Measurements

To the Editor A recent Research Letter reported that temperatures measured by temporal thermometers are lower than those measured orally in Black patients but not in White patients. However, I am concerned that this study used race as a proxy for skin color. Because people can have a range of skin colors despite their so-called race, the results of this study would have been more meaningful if it had used a biological parameter with one of the more objective measurements of skin color, such as a spectrophotometer or one of the visual scales.