A digital pain assessment has received positive feedback following a study into its use with dementia patients in Scottish care homes.
PainChek was used as part of a trial with social care professionals working in care home settings – to evaluate whether a digital solution could help practitioners assess and manage pain for people with an impaired ability to communicate.
According to a study led by Edinburgh Napier university, 82.1% of respondents felt that PainChek is an effective digital solution for assessing and managing pain.
The research showed that 78.6% perceived that it is a good way to understand how much pain people who are unable to communicate verbally experience, and 75% felt that it helped them to make informed decisions about pain management.
A further 77.8% felt that the use of the tool could help to reduce the chances of a person’s pain going unnoticed.
Dr Isabel Nyangu, lecturer in public health and epidemiology, programme Lead, Master of Public Health (FT), School of Health and Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University, said: “Our evaluation research highlights a potential shift in how we can support one of the most vulnerable populations. The study results indicate that by integrating PainChek into daily practice, we can provide care professionals with a ‘digital voice’ for their residents, thereby moving towards a standard of care that is objective, proactive, and most importantly deeply person-centred.”
Tandeep Gill, of PainChek, said: “We welcome this research from Edinburgh Napier University, supported by the Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre and the Care Inspectorate. With dementia cases expected to double by 2040 and one-third of those affected living in residential care, it is imperative that care staff are equipped with effective tools to support wellbeing and prevent unnecessary deaths.
“Dementia remains one of Scotland’s leading causes of death, often due to late or missed diagnoses caused by communication barriers. Early pain identification can serve as a vital indicator of persons deterioration, with up to 80% of cognitive decline linked to untreated pain.
“Historical pain assessment tools such as the Abbey Pain Scale rely on clinical observations of behaviours. They are also solely assessment tools and not medical grade. Consequently, they are inadequate, time-consuming, underused, poorly documented, and unreliable. Evidence demonstrates that PainChek as a cleared medical device increases pain assessment rates significantly and surpasses traditional methods. The Care Inspectorate found there were no documented baseline pain assessments across 21 services prior to this project. The following 6 months saw over 10,000 pain assessments completed with PainChek.”
The Care Inspectorate has been using PainChek since 2024, with its use evaluated in an independent study conducted by Edinburgh Napier University. Over the initial six-month data collection period, PainChek was linked to a 42% reduction in falls as well as a 42% reduction in stress and distress. As a result of the pilot, the Care Inspectorate included PainChek in its Quality Improvement Plan for 2023/24, positioning the tool as a key technology in its three-year quality improvement strategy.
Nicholas Cronin, Senior Improvement Adviser at the Care Inspectorate, said: “As part of our scrutiny and improvement work, the Care Inspectorate tested the use of PainChek in 21 care settings in Scotland. This work was focused on learning and improvement, highlighting that having a structured digital tool to consider pain can support improvements in the quality of care and personal outcomes, particularly for people who find it difficult to communicate their pain.”
