Factors associated with willingness to wear an electronic overdose detection device

Abstract

Background North America is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. Although take-home naloxone and other measures have been an effective strategy to reduce overdoses, many events are unwitnessed and mortality remains high amongst those using drugs alone. While wearable devices that can detect and alert others of an overdose are being developed, willingness of people who use drugs to wear such a device has not been described. Methods Drug using persons enrolled in a community-recruited cohort in Vancouver, Canada, were asked whether or not they would be willing to wear a device against their skin that would alert others in the event of an overdose. Logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with willingness to wear such a device. Results Among the 1061 participants surveyed between December 2017 and May 2018, 576 (54.3%) were willing to wear an overdose detection device. Factors independently associated with willingness included ever having overdosed (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06–1.83), current methadone treatment (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.45–2.40), female gender AOR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.09–1.84) and a history of chronic pain (AOR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.19–1.96). Whereas homelessness (AOR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.50–0.91) was negatively associated with willingness. Conclusions A high level of willingness to wear an overdose detection device was observed in this setting and a range of factors associated with overdose were positively associated with willingness. Since some factors, such as homelessness may be a barrier, further research is needed to investigate explanations for unwillingness and to evaluate real world acceptability of a wearable overdose detection devices as this technology becomes available.

Willingness to use a wearable device capable of detecting and reversing overdose among people who use opioids in Philadelphia

“…While stand-alone studies of willingness to use a biosensor or mobile application-based bystander network have been pursued, there is a lack of data to understand user perception and need for naloxone options that do not require bystander intervention [15,25]. In this study, we investigated the preferences of individuals who use opioids regarding a wearable device capable of detecting and reversing overdose without bystander intervention.…”

Willingness to Use a Wearable Device Capable of Detecting and Reversing Overdose Among People Who Use Opioids in Philadelphia

“…However, this nding was inconsistent with a previous quantitative study that indicated that homelessness was negatively associated with willingness to wear a device to detect opioid overdose and alert bystanders. 21 We suspect the discrepancy may relate to our observation that some participants were distrustful of bystanders who may take advantage of their unconscious state during overdose, and thus preferred a closed-loop system. Populations experiencing homelessness and other high-need populations represent logical rst bene ciaries of future distribution strategies.…”

Wearable Respiratory Sensor for the Detection of Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression

“…A patient preference study conducted in Vancouver found that among the 1,061 adults who use illicit drugs surveyed, 576 (54.1%) said they were willing to wear an overdose detection device. 6 The study found that factors that were positively associated with willingness were previous overdose, current methadone treatment, female gender, and history of chronic pain. 6 Understanding factors that impact the acceptability of wearable overdose detection devices for people who use opioids could help to ensure the uptake of these devices.…”

“…6 The study found that factors that were positively associated with willingness were previous overdose, current methadone treatment, female gender, and history of chronic pain. 6 Understanding factors that impact the acceptability of wearable overdose detection devices for people who use opioids could help to ensure the uptake of these devices. Devices that are small and can be worn under clothing or that look similar to other commonly worn devices could help to limit the stigma that may be associated with wearing overdose detection devices.…”