From the University of Michigan School of Public Health (Janevic), Ann Arbor, Michigan; Dartmouth College Thayer School of Engineering (Murnane), Hanover, New Hampshire; University of Florida College of Dentistry (Fillingim), Gainesville, Florida; Yale University (Kerns), New Haven, Connecticut; and Weill Cornell Medicine (Reid), New York City, New York.
Psychosom Med. 2023 Sep 1;85(7):612-618. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000001200. Epub 2023 Apr 3.
Technology has substantial potential to transform and extend care for persons with chronic pain, a burdensome and costly condition. To catalyze the development of impactful applications of technology in this space, we developed the Pain Tech Landscape (PTL) model, which integrates pain care needs with characteristics of technological solutions.
Our interdisciplinary group representing experts in pain and human factors research developed PTL through iterative discussions. To demonstrate one potential use of the model, we apply data generated from a narrative review of selected pain and technology journals (2000-2020) in the form of heat map overlays, to reveal where pain tech research attention has focused to date.
The PTL comprises three two-dimensional planes, with pain care needs on each x axis (measurement to management) and technology applications on the y axes according to a) user agency (user- to system-driven), b) usage time frame (temporary to lifelong), and c) collaboration (single-user to collaborative). Heat maps show that existing applications reside primarily in the "user-driven/management" quadrant (e.g., self-care apps). Examples of less developed areas include artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (i.e., Internet-linked household objects), and collaborative/social tools for pain management.
Collaborative development between the pain and tech fields in early developmental stages using the PTL as a common language could yield impactful solutions for chronic pain management. The PTL could also be used to track developments in the field over time. We encourage periodic reassessment and refinement of the PTL model, which can also be adapted to other chronic conditions.
技术具有改变和扩展慢性疼痛患者护理的巨大潜力，慢性疼痛是一种负担沉重且代价高昂的疾病。为了促进在这一领域有影响力的技术应用的发展，我们开发了疼痛技术景观（PTL）模型，该模型将疼痛护理需求与技术解决方案的特点相结合。
我们的跨学科小组由疼痛和人类因素研究方面的专家组成，通过反复讨论制定了 PTL。为了展示该模型的一种潜在用途，我们以热图叠加的形式应用了从选定的疼痛和技术期刊（2000-2020 年）的叙述性综述中生成的数据，以揭示迄今为止疼痛技术研究的关注重点。
PTL 由三个二维平面组成，每个 x 轴上都有疼痛护理需求（从测量到管理），y 轴上则是根据 a）用户代理（用户驱动到系统驱动）、b）使用时间框架（临时到终身）和 c）协作（单用户到协作）的技术应用。热图显示，现有的应用主要集中在“用户驱动/管理”象限（例如，自我护理应用程序）。开发较少的领域包括人工智能和物联网（即，与互联网相连的家居用品），以及用于疼痛管理的协作/社交工具。
在早期发展阶段，疼痛和技术领域之间使用 PTL 作为通用语言进行协作开发，可以为慢性疼痛管理带来有影响力的解决方案。PTL 还可以用于跟踪该领域随时间的发展。我们鼓励定期重新评估和改进 PTL 模型，该模型也可以适用于其他慢性疾病。
