Feasibility and acceptability to use a smartphone-based manikin for daily longitudinal self-reporting of chronic pain

Abstract

Background As management of chronic pain continues to be suboptimal, there is a need for tools that support frequent, longitudinal pain self-reporting to improve our understanding of pain. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of daily pain self-reporting using a smartphone-based pain manikin. Methods For this prospective feasibility study, we recruited adults with lived experience of painful musculoskeletal condition. They were asked to complete daily pain self-reports via an app for 30 days. We assessed feasibility by calculating pain report completion levels, and investigated differences in completion levels between subgroups. We assessed acceptability via an end-of-study questionnaire, which we analysed descriptively. Results Of the 104 participants, the majority were female ( n = 87; 84%), aged 45-64 ( n = 59; 57%), and of white ethnic background ( n = 89; 86%). The mean completion levels was 21 (± 7.7) pain self-reports. People who were not working (odds ratio (OR) = 1.84; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.52-2.23) were more likely, and people living in less deprived areas (OR = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.62-0.97) and of non-white ethnicity (OR = 0.45; 95% CI, 0.36-0.57) were less likely to complete pain self-reports than their employed, more deprived and white counterparts, respectively. Of the 96 participants completing the end-of-study questionnaire, almost all participants agreed that it was easy to complete a pain drawing ( n = 89; 93%). Conclusion It is feasible and acceptable to self–report pain using a smartphone–based manikin over a month. For its wider adoption for pain self–reporting, the feasibility and acceptability should be further explored among people with diverse socio–economic and ethnic backgrounds.

Reliability, validity, and responsiveness of a smartphone-based manikin to support pain self-reporting

“…The mean number of drawings across participants was 21 (SD, 7.7), with 91 people submitting 10 or more. 3 Table 1 describes participants' baseline demographic and pain characteristics.…”

“…More details on the data collection procedures can be found elsewhere. 3 All participants who completed their baseline questionnaire and submitted at least one manikin drawing were included in the full sample. Box 1 explains how we assessed the measurement properties of manikin-derived pain extent.…”