Sleep–wake monitoring of people with intellectual disability: Examining the agreement of EMFIT QS and actigraphy

Background: Gaining insight into sleep–wake patterns of persons with intellectual disabilities is commonly done using wrist actigraphy. For some people, contactless alternatives are needed. This study compares a contactless bed sensor with wrist actigraphy to monitor sleep–wake patterns of people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities. Method: Data were collected with EMFIT QS (activity and presence) and MotionWatch 8/Actiwatch 2 (activity, ambient light, and event marker/sleep diary) for 14 nights in 13 adults with moderate-profound intellectual disabilities residing in intramural care. Results: In a care-as-usual setting, EMFIT QS and actigraphy assessment show little agreement on sleep–wake variables. Conclusion: Currently, EMFIT QS should not be considered an alternative to wrist actigraphy for sleep–wake monitoring. Further research is needed into assessing sleep–wake variables using (contactless) technological devices and how the data should be interpreted within the care context to achieve reliable and valid information on sleep–wake patterns of people with intellectual disabilities.