Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Sep 28, 2022
Date Accepted: Mar 27, 2023
Date Submitted to PubMed: Apr 25, 2023
Acceptability & Usability of a Wearable Device for Sleep Health among English- and Spanish-speaking Patients in the Safety-Net: A Qualitative Analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Sleep disorders are common and disproportionately affect marginalized populations. Technology such as wearable devices holds potential to improve sleep quality and reduce sleep disparities, but most devices have not been designed or tested with racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse patients.
Objective:
To evaluate the usability and acceptability of a wearable sleep monitoring device - SomnoRing® - among patients treated at a safety-net clinic.
Methods:
The study team recruited English- and Spanish-speaking patients from a mid-sized pulmonary and sleep medicine practice serving publicly insured patients. Eligibility criteria included initial evaluation of a suspected sleep disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea. Patients tested the SomnoRing® over a 7-night period and participated in a 1-hour qualitative interview covering perceptions of the device, motivators and barriers to use, and general experiences with digital health tools. The study team used inductive/deductive processes to code interview transcripts, guided by the Technology Acceptance Model.
Results:
Twenty-one individuals participated in the study. All participants owned a smartphone, almost all (19/21) felt comfortable using their phone, and few already owned a wearable (6/21). Almost all participants wore the SomnoRing® for 7 nights and found it comfortable. Four themes emerged from qualitative data: the SomnoRing® was easy to use compared to home sleep testing alternatives, the context/environment affected overall acceptance, clinical champions motivated use, and participants needed more assistance/information to best interpret their own sleep data.
Conclusions:
Racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse patients with sleep disorders perceived a wearable as useful and acceptable for sleep health. Participants also uncovered barriers related to usefulness and implementation of the technology. These data can inform concrete improvements to make sleep monitoring technologies more accessible. Clinical Trial: This manuscript does not report on a clinical trial
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