Frequently Asked Questions
What is Painimation?
Painimation is an iOS mobile phone app that allows users to track and describe their pain with abstract animations.
Users can record pain location, pain type/quality, and pain intensity, as well as mood and energy levels. They can also record or type notes in each pain entry and keep a list of their medications and/or alternative ways to reduce pain (e.g. yoga, meditation). With consistent use, Painimation can help users discover trends in their pain, which can help improve their self-management of pain.
Who can use Painimation?
Anyone can use Painimation but Painimation will work best for individuals with chronic pain. Though the main use of Painimation is for users to record their pain and gain insights from their entries, the user could also review this valuable information with their provider during an appointment, which could improve their quality of care.
How can Painimation be beneficial for me and my provider?
Pain is the number one reason for medical visits in the U.S., but it is poorly assessed and treated, which leads to compromised quality of care. Painimation facilitates communication between patient and provider during conversations assessing pain. It allows patients to feel understood by capturing their full pain experience. It also removes barriers of age, culture, and literacy level. These capabilities can improve the patient-provider therapeutic alliance between, which is important in quality of care.
How is Painimation different from other pain scales currently used?
Currently, medical providers primarily use a 1-10 Likert scale to assess pain (0 = no pain; 10 = worst pain). Though useful for measuring pain severity, Likert scales oversimplify the complexity of pain experienced by patients with chronic pain. Painimation allows users to capture the type/quality of pain, pain location, and pain intensity.