Feasibility of a Wearable Remote Monitoring Device for Patients Treated for Opioid Use Disorder in a Telehealth Program

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is increasingly prevalent in the United States. Telehealth-only OUD treatment with buprenorphine, first permitted during the COVID-19 pandemic, has expanded access but the modality complicates monitoring medication adherence and withdrawal symptoms. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) using smartwatch biometric sensors may improve telehealth OUD care, but feasibility is unknown. Patients (N=15) newly treated in a telehealth OUD program receiving buprenorphine were enrolled. Subjects were instructed to wear a smartwatch continuously, except during charging, for ten days. Adherence, defined as the proportion of hours in which at least one biometric data capture occurred, was measured. The mean adherence was 38.9%. Six patients (40.0%) demonstrated high adherence (>50%), and nine (60.0%) had low adherence. Although adherence was suboptimal, smartwatch-based RPM may be feasible in a telehealth-only OUD treatment program for some patients.