A novel artificial intelligence–enabled wearable device with haptic feedback may reduce nocturnal scratching in patients with mild atopic dermatitis, according to a new study.

In the single-center cohort study, published in JAMA Dermatology, researchers found that haptic feedback led to a 28% decrease in mean scratch events per night (45.6 vs 32.8, P = .03) and a 50% reduction in mean scratch duration per hour of sleep opportunity (15.8 vs 7.9 seconds, P = .01).

"This technology may serve as a standalone or, more likely, a supportive therapeutic device for decreasing scratching behavior in patients with mild [atopic dermatitis] (AD) who may not meet the criteria for systemic therapy or prefer not to use topical corticosteroids yet still report a high degree of scratching," wrote the study authors, led by Albert F. Yang, MD.

The researchers recruited 10 adult patients (6 women, mean age = 36 years) with mild AD who self-reported moderate to severe scratching behaviors. The participants wore a sensor on their dominant hand for 2 weeks—1 week for baseline measurement and another week with haptic feedback activated.

The wearable device, mounted on the back of the hand, used artificial intelligence to detect scratching movements and provided immediate vibratory feedback when scratching was detected. The system demonstrated 99% accuracy, 95% sensitivity, and 99% specificity in preliminary testing with healthy volunteers.

Patient feedback was largely positive, with most participants reporting that the device was easy to wear and use. All of the participants expressed a desire to reduce scratch activity, with 80% (n = 8) of them specifically wanting a nonpharmacologic method to do so.

Study limitations included the small sample size and potential confounding effect of the device's presence alone potentially reducing scratching behavior. The researchers noted that future randomized clinical trials with a device sham arm and longer intervention periods are needed to confirm the findings.

The research was conducted at Northwestern University's Department of Dermatology between April and July 2023. The study was supported by grants from the FDA and Maruho Co Ltd.

Full disclosures can be found in the study.