Use of a Shoulder-Mounted Wearable Sensor Prototype Designed to Detect Opioid-Related Overdose: A Qualitative User...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Biomedical Engineering
• Substance Use Research

Background:

• Drug overdose, primarily from opioids, is a leading cause of accidental death in the U.S.
• Fatal overdoses often occur during solitary use, limiting immediate response.
• Limited research has involved end-users in designing overdose detection and response devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess user experience, perceived harms/benefits, and acceptability of a wearable overdose detection sensor prototype.
• To explore user preferences for real-time automated responses in next-generation devices.

Main Methods:

• Recruited individuals (≥18 years) with recent injection drug use from a substance use disorder clinic.
• Participants wore a shoulder-mounted sensor prototype for 7 days.
• Semistructured interviews explored acceptability, usability, and design preferences for future devices.

Main Results:

• Participants found the shoulder-mounted overdose detection device concept acceptable.
• Users emphasized the need for long-lasting, discreet devices with tailored response options (e.g., alerting peers or emergency services).
• Concerns about device error (false positives) led to a preference for alerting first responders over automated naloxone delivery.

Conclusions:

• A wearable overdose detection device prototype was found acceptable by users who inject drugs.
• User feedback is crucial for improving usability and design of future overdose prevention technologies.
• Diverse device functionalities, sizes, and capacities are needed to meet user needs and promote market adoption.