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Conducting a PainChek® Assessment

  • Updated

A PainChek® Assessment involves assessing 6 Domains for a Resident: the Face, Voice, Movement, Behaviour, Activity and Body. A PainChek® Video Assessment uses AI and the device's camera to assess the Face Domain, whilst the user observes the Resident to assess the other 5 Domains.

For each Domain, there are between 4 and 9 Features (or descriptors) to assess, resulting in 42 features in total. Each feature is assessed in a binary way - that is, the feature is assessed as being observed (score = 1) or not observed (score = 0).

Note

It is recommended to use the PainChek® App in a well-lit indoor environment that allows accurate observation of the Resident whose pain level you want to assess.

Note

To assess the pain level, the Application does not need to be connected to the Internet. However, it is recommended to stay connected whenever possible to ensure all data is synchronised and updates are installed in a timely manner.

You need to complete the steps described below to successfully conduct a pain Assessment.

1. Find the Resident you would like to conduct an Assessment on and tap on their profile. Tap the ASSESS PAIN button:

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2. On the New Assessment screen, select on the Assessment Timing for the Resident (At Rest or Post Movement) and then press NEXT:

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Note

  1. The Facial analysis defaults to Video, which is what is required for a PainChek® Video Assessment.

  2. The NEXT button is only enabled once you have selected At Rest or Post Movement (neither of which is selected by default).

  3. In the screenshot above, the user has selected the At Rest timing option.

3. The Face Domain: The camera is turned on and the image being seen by the camera is displayed:

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Note

  1. Whilst the camera is not focused on a face, the positioning guides and a Please position face within rectangle message are displayed (as can be seen in the image above). In addition, the Start Analysis button is greyed out.

  2. Sorting the Residents List

  3. If this is the first time you are using the PainChek® App on this device, you will be asked to give the PainChek® App access to the camera on your device.

4. Focus on the Resident's face using the smart-device's camera. When the face is detected the screen will become active and the Start Analysis button will turn green. Tap on Start Analysis to commence a 3-second video facial analysis:

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Caution

If the Video Facial Analysis fails, you will see a dialog prompting you with three options:

  • Retry - Retry a Video Facial Analysis. It is recommended that you should always retry at least once.

  • Manual - Continue on with the Assessment, but performing a Manual Facial Analysis. If you select this option, follow the Conducting a Manual PainChek® Assessment process to manually assess the face.

  • Cancel - Abandon the Assessment.

5. Once the Video Facial Analysis is successfully completed the Face Domain form is displayed:

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Note

  1. The Face Domain Features detected will be automatically selected and all of the 9 Face Domain Features are locked. In the screenshot above, no Face Domain Features were detected during the Video Facial Analysis.

  2. See the PainChek® Assessment Additional Functionality and Tips section for additional tips about Domain Assessment process.

  3. Once you have reviewed The Face Domain features, swipe left to go to the next Domain (The Voice).

6. The Voice Domain: Whilst observing the Resident select those features from The Voice Domain that the Resident is exhibiting:

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Note

  1. In the screenshot above, the User has observed two Features for this Domain.

  2. See the PainChek® Assessment Additional Functionality and Tips section for additional tips about assessing this Domain for the Resident, including recording audio of the Resident.

  3. Once you have reviewed the Voice Domain features, swipe left to go to the next Domain (Movement).

7. The Movement Domain: Whilst observing the Resident select those features from the Movement Domain that the Resident is exhibiting:

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Note

  1. In the screenshot above, the User has observed one Feature for this Domain.

  2. See the PainChek® Assessment Additional Functionality and Tips section for additional tips about assessing this Domain for the Resident.

  3. Once you have reviewed the Movement Domain features, swipe left to go to the next Domain (Behaviour).

8. The Behaviour Domain: Whilst observing or through clinical review of the Resident select those features in the Behaviour Domain that the Resident is exhibiting:

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Note

  1. In the screenshot above, the User has observed no Features for this Domain.

  2. See the PainChek® Assessment Additional Functionality and Tips section for additional tips about assessing this Domain for the Resident.

  3. Once you have reviewed the Behaviour Domain features, swipe left to go to the next Domain (Activity).

Using the Search Bar

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Note

  1. In the screenshot above, the User has observed one Feature for this Domain.

  2. See the PainChek® Assessment Additional Functionality and Tips section for additional tips about assessing this Domain for the Resident.

  3. Once you have reviewed the Activity Domain features, swipe left to go to the next Domain (Body).

10. The Body Domain: Whilst observing or through clinical review of the Resident select those features in the Body Domain that the Resident is exhibiting:

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Note

  1. In the screenshot above, the User has observed one Feature for this Domain.

  2. See the PainChek® Assessment Additional Functionality and Tips section for additional tips about assessing this Domain for the Resident.

11. Once you have reviewed the Body Domain, tap on DISPLAY SUMMARY. A summary of the Assessment is displayed:

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You will be able to see separate scores for the Face, Voice, Movement, Behaviour, Activity and Body Domains, as well as the total aggregated Pain Score (i.e. the sum of the features recorded in the six Domains) and its' corresponding Pain Intensity (No Pain, Mild Pain, Moderate Pain, Severe Pain). The Pain Intensity is assigned according to the following cut-off scores based on calibration against the Abbey Pain Scale (Atee et al. Pain Assessment in Dementia: Evaluation of a Point-of-Care Technological Solution. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 2017; 60(1):137-150. https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad170375):

  • 0 to 6 = No Pain

  • 7 to 11 = Mild Pain

  • 12 to 15 = Moderate Pain

  • 16 or more = Severe Pain

12. If you want to review or edit the score or details for a Domain, tap on a Domain. Depending on the Domain tapped, you will be returned to step 5 (The Face Domain) to step 11 (The Body Domain).

Once you are satisfied that all Features you can observe have been selected, you can finalize the Assessment (see the next step).

Otherwise, you may have the option to complete the Assessment at a later time (the LATER button is visible in this case). See the Incomplete PainChek® Assessments section for more details.

13. After reviewing the Assessment data, tap SAVE. You will then be prompted to confirm the save:

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. Your options are:

  • Save the Assessment. Once saved the Assessment cannot be updated. It will also be synchronised to the PainChek® database (immediately, if you are currently online, otherwise the next time you are online).

  • Cancel to return to the Assessment Summary form where you can review and update the Assessment.

14. Once the Assessment is saved, you will be returned to the Resident Profile screen and will see the newly completed Assessment is at the top of the list:

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Note

The PainChek® App may be set-up to provide you with a reminder of required next steps after you’ve conducted an assessment. These reminders are customised by your organisation and will look similar to the example below.

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