(P22-012-24) Feasibility of Using a Wearable Camera, the Automatic Ingestion Monitor-2 (AIM-2), for Dietary Intake Assessment in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Objectives: Dietary management is integral to managing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal failure (ESRD), especially for preventing catastrophic complications such as hyperkalemia, acidosis and cardiovascular problems; therefore, accurate assessment of what and how much patients are eating is critically important. Traditional dietary assessment methods are burdensome for both patients and dietitians, and prone to reporting bias. New technologies like wearable cameras may help overcome these problems. A wearable camera, the Automatic Ingestion Monitor-2 (AIM-2), worn during waking hours on eyeglasses, captures images of food and beverages being consumed. The AIM-2 detects when it is being worn correctly, enabling assessment of user compliance. In a pilot study, we examined the safety, feasibility, and compliance of wearing the AIM-2 and collected individual feedback on experience with the device in a sample of patients with CKD and ESRD.

Methods: Patients recently admitted to the Medical-Surgical unit at Boston University Medical Center for CKD including ESRD, who were willing and able to wear the AIM-2, and fluent in English were invited to participate. They were asked to wear the AIM-2 for two days during waking hours. At the end of the wear period, they rated their experience with the device, including acceptability, movement on the body, tickling and/or pain, awkwardness, restriction of movement or eating, sense of security, and privacy on a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest level of concern).

Results: Participants (n=23) were aged 62±15 y, BMI 29.2±6.4 kg/m² (mean±SD). The 2-day wear time was 8:03 h±58 m (mean±SEM, 95% CI 6:01, 10:04). The percentage of the sample indicating no concern (rated 0) was 78-96%, depending on the question, indicating the AIM-2 was acceptable, did not move on the body, cause pain or awkwardness, or restrict movement. Most of the sample (61%) had no concern about privacy, while 30% expressed low or moderate concern. There was no relation between AIM-2 wear time and user experience ratings. No side effects were observed.

Conclusions: The AIM-2 was safe, feasible and well accepted by patients with CKD. Validation studies on dietary intake in this patient population are forthcoming.

Funding Sources: Center of Cross-Organ Vascular Disease, Dept of Medicine, Boston Medical Center.