Helping Elderly Users Report Pain Levels: A Study of User Experience with Mobile and Wearable Interfaces

Abstract

Pain is usually measured through patient reports during doctor visits, but it requires regular evaluation under real-life conditions to be resolved effectively. Over half of older adults suffer from pain. Chronic conditions such as this one may be monitored through technology; however, elderly users require technology to be specifically designed for them, because many have cognitive and physical limitations and lack digital skills. The purpose of this article is to study whether mobile or wearable devices are appropriate to self-report pain levels and to find which body position is more appropriate for elderly people to wear a device to self-report pain. We implemented three prototypes and conducted two phases of evaluation. We found that users preferred the wearable device over the mobile application and that a wearable to self-report pain should be designed specifically for this purpose. Regarding the placement of the wearable, we found that there was no preferred position overall, although the neck position received the most positive feedback. We believe that the possibility of creating a wearable device that may be placed in different positions may be the best solution to satisfy users’ individual preferences.

StraightenUp+: Monitoring of Posture during Daily Activities for Older Persons Using Wearable Sensors

“…Previous studies on remote monitoring devices for older users have placed sensors on the trunk, sacrum, abdomen, chest, wrist, pocket or neck, with some placing sensors on several locations (e.g., chest, wrist, thigh and ankle) [ 6 ]. Although, e.g., the wrist has been found to be preferred by young users [ 69 ], older users have not declared a clear preference [ 33 ], and in our observations, in people using support devices, the wrist often remains stationary. Our device was placed on the back of the users, with users finding it to be comfortable and feeling it provided some type of support.…”

“…A recent study found the wrist to be the preferred placement of a wearable, followed by the chest, and finally, the waist [ 32 ]. Another study found that older users showed no clear preference over placement of a wearable on the arm, neck, waist or wrist [ 33 ].…”

A Systematic Literature Review of the Design Approach and Usability Evaluation of the Pain Management Mobile Applications

“…Thus, their preference for data input methods could be different. It is reported that the elderly prefer wearable devices over mobile applications, [53,54] i.e., the active mode of data input in a simplified way [54]. Nevertheless, the wearable device could only be helpful to input pain intensity, whereas there are some other attributes of pain data to be input as well.…”

Tracking Well-Being Design Explorations Through Object Theatre

“…Healthcare providers are increasingly tracking users in their daily routines at home; this can provide rich information to support accurate and cheaper treatment [8] or help to self-report pain and emotions [5,13]. In pre-digital times, data to support healthcare was logged through analogue methods, such as keeping a diary or a logbook, putting coins in a jar or cutting a spike from a comb.…”

“…Larsen et al [8] present how the instrumentation of a wearable one-button tracker can result to deeper investigative dialogue about personal sensations based on the data. Rodríguez et al [13] suggest selfmonitoring through wearable interfaces to collect realtime information from chronic-pain patients. On the same note, researchers have been studying subjective self-reporting of emotions through digital interfaces, and found a potential for tangible user interfaces [5].…”