Pain management tool to improve residents' wellbeing

The ability to assess and manage dementia residents’ pain will be vastly improved with the introduction of the Painchek® app into Peacehaven’s dementia unit.

Thanks to funding from the James Stewart Memorial Fund and the Stewart Family Charitable Trust, Enliven Southland has purchased the rights to use Painchek® for a trial period of 12 months, starting in July.

The app will be used with 46 dementia patients at Peacehaven’s dementia unit and the trial period will allow staff to evaluate the effectiveness of continuing to use the tool long-term.

Painchek® uses AI, facial analysis and smartphone technology to help improve pain management in patients who cannot reliably verbalise they have pain, such as those living with dementia or cognitive impairment.

The app analyses non-verbal cues and micro facial expressions to help carers identify the presence of pain when it is not obvious, quantify the severity of pain and monitor the effectiveness of interventions.

“To have the Painchek® app in the dementia unit means we can carry out an accurate pain assessment on the spot,” Enliven Southland dementia care manager Julie Worner said. “This enables us to immediately determine if a vocal resident has pain or if it is a behavioural issue and treat the resident appropriately.”

“I also like how the tool is on your phone, making it accessible and easy to use and how the pain assessment is copied straight into our clinical files, meaning information is easily shared among staff, including physiotherapists and occupational therapists.”

Julie said Painchek® was expected to improve residents’ health and wellbeing and their overall quality of life.

With the improved ability to accurately identify pain, staff will be able to reduce residents’ pain more quickly and pain assessments will be conducted more quickly, thus allowing staff more time for other duties.  It will also give staff greater confidence in their ability to accurately identify pain and recognise non-verbal cues and support their decision-making around the use of anti-psychotic medications, as some residents’ challenging behaviour was caused by them experiencing severe pain.

Enliven Southland director Carol Riddle said Painchek® was an example of innovation and smart technology which would have a direct impact on residents’ wellbeing.

“It is essential that we remain relevant and keep up with technological advancement in aged care,” she said.  “This would not be possible without the support and funding from our community.”

“I cannot thank our funders enough for giving us the opportunity to purchase this amazing product and we are excited to share the outcomes.”