The Acceptability of Wearables for Atrial Fibrillation Screening: Interim Analysis of the SAFER Wearables Study

We report an interim analysis of the SAFER Wearables Study, a study assessing the acceptability of wearables for atrial fibrillation (AF) screening.The aim was to identify factors influencing the acceptability of wearables in older adults.The study enrolled community-dwelling adults aged 65 and over, who were asked to wear three wearable rhythm monitoring devices for one week: two wrist-worn devices similar to a smartwatch and a fitness tracker, and a chest patch.Feedback on device acceptability was collected via a questionnaire and informal telephone discussions.95% of the 21 participants reported being happy to wear any of the devices for one week.However, 24% of participants removed the chest patch early due to skin irritation, and 38% reported that it caused skin irritation.Several strategies to improve acceptability were identified from the feedback.The findings provide insight into factors influencing the acceptability of wearables in older adults, a target population for AF screening.