Carreiro S, Smelson D, Ranney M, Horvath KJ, Picard RW, Boudreaux ED, Hayes R, & Boyer EW. (2015). Real-time mobile detection of drug use with wearable biosensors: A pilot study. Journal of Medical Toxicology, 11:73-79. PMCID: PMC4371024
Collecting biological samples and self-reports of drug use are commonly used to assess drug use, but do not allow for drug use to be evaluated or treated in real time. This pilot study evaluated the biometric data from a wearable biosensor from individuals using opiates or cocaine. The sensor took eight readings a second and measured electrodermal activity (EDA), skin temperature, and acceleration. Four participants receiving opioids were recruited from a hospital emergency department and one participant actively using cocaine was recruited in the field. Three participants wore the biosensor on the wrist of the non-dominant hand, one emergency department participant wore sensors on both wrists, and the field participant wore it on his dominant hand. Participants in the emergency department wore the sensor before, during, and 30 minutes after opioid administration and the subject from the field wore the sensor for five hours. The most pronounced changes recorded by the sensor were in EDA; changes in skin temperature and acceleration were less pronounced. Reactions were less pronounced in individuals who were opioid tolerant and when measurements were taken on the wrist of the dominant hand. Results of this small pilot suggest that conducting studies in emergency departments and in the field with the biosensor is feasible.