BACKGROUND
There are a range of wearable transdermal alcohol sensors (TAS) available and currently being developed. These devices have the potential to be able to monitor alcohol consumption continuously, over extended time periods in an objective manner, overcoming some of the limitations of other alcohol measurement methods (blood, breath and urine).
OBJECTIVE
This systematic review aims to assess their accuracy.
METHODS
A systematic search was conducted of the CINAHL, EMBASE, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed and Scopus bibliographic databases in February 2021. Two members of the study team independently screened studies for inclusion, extracted data and assessed risk of bias. Each study methodological quality was appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The primary outcome was TAS accuracy. The data is presented as a narrative synthesis.
RESULTS
We identified and analysed 32 studies. Study designs included: laboratory and ambulatory, mixed and RCTs and the length the device was worn ranged from days to weeks. Five studies included used more than one brand of TAS. Results for transdermal alcohol concentration data from various TAS were generally found to be positively correlated with BrAC, BAC and self-report. The WrisTAS and BACtrack prototype reported higher malfunctions and noise within data files compared to SCRAM however these devices also report a reduced time lag for transdermal alcohol concentration values than SCRAM. It was also found that many companies were developing new models of TAS devices.
CONCLUSIONS
There is a lack of research investigating the accuracy of TAS as a tool to monitor alcohol consumption within clinical populations and use over extended periods of time. While there is some preliminary evidence suggesting the accuracy of these devices this needs to be further investigated with clinical populations.
CLINICALTRIAL
Systematic review registration: CRD42021231027