PANDA-Regional Feasibility Study of a Smartphone Pain Management Application

University of British Columbia29 enrolled

Overview

Despite the numerous benefits of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) over general anesthesia (GA) in a variety of surgical procedures, PNBs can be associated with increased post-operative pain if pain medications are not taken correctly (titrated). Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence as patients often have difficulty titrating medications in the absence of direct medical care. PANDA, a smartphone-based postoperative pain management tool, is designed to address this issue by helping patients manage their pain medications. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of this application in patients who are discharged after receiving PNBs. The goal is to identify areas of improvement for the application itself. It is hypothesize that PANDA will be successful in supporting patients' postoperative pain management.

As above

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Postoperative Pain Anesthesia, Conduction

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 19 YearsMax age: 75 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Undergoing ambulatory surgical procedures that require peripheral nerve blocks for which there is an anticipated post-surgical pain model * Planned post-discharge analgesic medications including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen and/or opioids for at least 2 days * ASA I-III * Written informed consent * Have a smartphone device at their disposal Exclusion Criteria: * Inability or refusal to provide informed consent * Presence of significant cognitive impairment, visual impairments, neurological injury, or psychomotor dysfunction that impairs ability to use the app * Inability to follow study instructions and complete questionnaires in English

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Feasibility of the PANDA application

Measured by assessing the participants' compliance with the application in supporting ongoing pain assessments and analgesic administration.

Time frame: 2-7 days post-operatively

Secondary Outcomes

Identify usability issues

Assessed by having participants complete a Computer Systems Usability Questionnaire (CSUQ) and a brief phone interview