An estimated 43% of the adult UK population or roughly 28 million people currently live with a degree of chronic pain as per faculty of pain medicine at Royal College of Anaesthetics, UK. Approximately 8 million adults report chronic pain that is moderate to severely disabling and chronic pain may affect up to 30% of young adults of working age (18–39-year-olds).
There could be a multitude of causes of chronic pain ranging from injury, surgery, musculoskeletal conditions, cancer or complications of diabetes, arthritis, and stroke. Irrespective of the root cause, chronic pain can have a debilitating effect. In addition, chronic pain also translates into decreased productivity, loss of wages, and increased dependence on the healthcare infrastructure. As a result, the burden of chronic pain falls both on the individual as well as the society. Therefore, good pain management practices are important since they help mitigate chronic pain and allow individuals to perform their day-to-day tasks smoothly.
The role of technology in chronic pain
While medication is an integral component of managing chronic pain, long-term management of chronic conditions also requires support to bring lifestyle changes through exercise therapy, nutrition advice etc. Technology can help doctors and healthcare professionals facilitate the right interventions for better long-term management of chronic pain conditions.
Equally important, it provides greater control to the patient by encouraging self-management. In turn, this can also encourage patients to share progress data voluntarily, which can provide valuable insights to develop pain management therapies.
There is ample scientific evidence to demonstrate the benefits of long-term exercise on conditions such as chronic low back pain, chronic neck pain, and neuropathic pain. Digital platforms can increase patient engagement by providing valuable information such as demonstration videos for exercises and tips for injury prevention, etc. This engagement is particularly valuable in the initial stages of exercise training when patients might experience a short-term exacerbation of pain. In the absence of close supervision at this stage, patients are more prone to abandoning the programs and reverting to their sedentary lifestyle that perpetuates a vicious cycle of increasing pain. Engagement and counselling can help alleviate long-term suffering.
Since direct supervision over pain management by a healthcare professional is often not practically possible, digital platforms play an increasingly vital role. While patients often seek support from their healthcare provider, the latter is limited by bandwidth as well as time. For instance, access to the provider might not be easily possible beyond traditional office hours. Digital platforms can help here since they allow patients to log their pain, mood, sleep, and activities and gain better insights into their own coping mechanisms. These records can also guide the development of a personalized treatment plan. Digital tools can be useful to set timelines to fulfil specific goals in a pain management plan.
Studies suggest that chronic pain patients and their families often seek knowledge about their condition and are keen to learn about lifestyle adjustments such as exercise, sleep, and nutrition. They also look for strategies and tips to cope with depressive and anxious thoughts, which are often associated with chronic pain. In fact, the lack of access to reliable information on their condition can be a source of distress, particularly in the initial stages. A digital platform can fulfill this requirement and eliminate the need to scour through the internet and dodge massive amounts of misinformation.
Given that chronic pain is a debilitating condition that can lead to physiological and psychological consequences, digital health platforms can provide crucial support in the form of on-demand guidance. Whether the platform acts as a virtual coach that assists patients with exercise therapy or as a digital diary for individuals to log their pain experience, the role of digital platforms can be valuable. For clinicians too, digital tools can generate useful insights to monitor patient progress and optimize pain management strategies.
Life sciences organizations must look to leverage digital technology for better patient outcomes when dealing with chronic pain. Apart from manufacturing compliant tools and devices, they should invest in integrated digital health platforms that will inform clinicians and doctors based on the data patients choose to share, the best pain management strategy for their needs.
By Subhro Mallik, EVP and Head of Life Sciences, Infosys
