Thermal response of hands to computer work: comparison of three assessment procedures
Thermal response of hands to computer work: comparison of three assessment procedures

Summary/Abstract: Introduction: Unlike other imaging modalities thermography is absolutely non-invasive and suitable to assess functional changes. However in some fields, methodology for its use has not even been set yet. This work compares three different methods to study the dynamics of skin temperature changes in hands during computer work. Methods: A total of 306 measurements of 20 office employees and 6 non-office employees was performed with a thermographic camera during a work shift. The thermograms were subsequently evaluated and three methodologies - regions of interest, two of them newly proposed - were compared mathematically. Also, two more have been taken into consideration. Results: The results shown the same tendencies of thermal changes comparing our methodologies with the methodology used earlier in more than 80% (88 % in case of the first method, named H2 method and 85 % in case of the second one, named H5). However, in comparison to older procedure, our procedures shown higher sensitivity to temperature changes in more than 60% of cases (61 % in case of the first method and 68 % in case of the second one). We measured a variation range difference of 1.6 °C, and, with the second method, whole 2.1 °C compared to method used earlier. Conclusion: This work has determined a new procedure for measuring of dynamics of hands temperature changes, which is not only easier and faster to perform and evaluate, but it is also more capable of detecting temperature changes on hands.

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