We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Wellbeing Management App Reduces Chronic Pain Symptoms

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 18 Mar 2021
Print article
Image: The Manage My Pain (MMP) app (Photo courtesy of ManagingLife)
Image: The Manage My Pain (MMP) app (Photo courtesy of ManagingLife)
A patient-centric digital health solution reduces anxiety and pain catastrophizing, two key areas that drive increased medical use and potential abuse of opioids.

Researchers at the University of Toronto (Canada), University Health Network (UHN; Toronto, Canada), and other institutions conducted a study to evaluate if a digital chronic pain management app, Manage My Pain (MMP), could enhance communication between providers and patients and help promote self-management of chronic pain and associated mental health. In all, 246 participants were enrolled in the study, with 73.6% of them using the app along with their medication, psychological therapy, and physiotherapy, and the rest serving as a control group, entering data on paper-based questionnaires.

The results showed that those who used the app rated lower anxiety at short-term follow-up and had a greater reduction in pain catastrophizing at long-term follow-up, relative to patients with pain who did not engage with the MMP app. In addition, for the rural patients treated at Iroquois Falls Family Health (IFFHT, Canada), the benefits of MMP were clearer, since they lacked a specialty pain center, and the app made the patient-clinician communication easier and more productive. The study was published on March 4, 2021, in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth.

“Prior to Manage My Pain, our clinic was dependent on paper-based questionnaires to understand a patient's pain experience and response to treatment,” said lead author Anuj Bhatia, MD, of Toronto Western Hospital, part of UHN. “The app allows us to capture even more information than we had previously, while doing so digitally and remotely. The app also allowed us to study trends in intensity of pain and its impact on the patients' lives.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how essential it is for patients to have a role in managing healthcare conditions. Manage My Pain has helped our patients tell their story,” said senior author Hance Clarke, MD, medical director of The Pain Research Unit at UHN Toronto General Hospital. “This has empowered them to engage in discussions that enabled us to come up with patient-centered treatment plans to help manage their pain. Digital tools like Manage My Pain are a great way to empower self-management in patients, which is one of the hallmarks of successful clinical care.”

MMP, developed by ManagingLife (Toronto, Canada), is designed to help people suffering from conditions such fibromyalgia, migraines, arthritis, or back pain to understand their symptoms and provide data on their pain for their doctors, insurance companies, or government agencies. It allows user to record and describe their pain, record meaningful activities, highlight patterns and trends in chart and graph forms, track medication use and effects, and generate summary reports.

Related Links:
University of Toronto
University Health Network
ManagingLife


Gold Member
Solid State Kv/Dose Multi-Sensor
AGMS-DM+
Gold Member
POC Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile Prime Plus
Silver Member
Compact 14-Day Uninterrupted Holter ECG
NR-314P
New
Single Cavity Combination Warmer
EC550BL

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: Researchers have developed a novel risk score for cardiovascular complications after bone marrow transplant (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel Tool Predicts Cardiovascular Risks after Bone Marrow Transplantation

Every year, thousands of people undergo bone marrow transplants to potentially cure serious diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, and immune deficiency disorders. While these transplants can be lifesaving,... Read more

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: The Early Bird Bleed Monitoring System provides visual and audible indicators of the onset and progression of bleeding events (Photo courtesy of Saranas)

Novel Technology Monitors and Lowers Bleeding Complications in Patients Undergoing Heart Procedures

Bleeding complications at the femoral access site can significantly hamper recovery, affecting the success of procedures, patient satisfaction, and overall healthcare costs. It is crucial for surgeons... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The new eye-safe laser technology can diagnose traumatic brain injury (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel Diagnostic Hand-Held Device Detects Known Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury

The growing need for prompt and efficient diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI), a major cause of mortality globally, has spurred the development of innovative diagnostic technologies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.