Jozi Stables, manager of Renaissance Care’s Glencairn home, said the wellbeing of residents – and staff morale – had improved after a pilot scheme with an innovative app that assesses pain using facial recognition.
Glencairn is among Renaissance Care’s 18 homes in Scotland that have been using PainChek, an AI-powered app that uses a camera on an ordinary smartphone or tablet to scan faces for tiny changes called micro-expressions to detect pain.
Studies have shown that chronic pain is widespread among care home residents with some suggesting that as many as half are cognitively impaired and may be unable to communicate symptoms such as pain or anxiety [1].
It is recognised that the effects of chronic pain significantly reduce residents’ quality of life, limiting their mobility, restricting their social life, causing depression, irritability and tiredness.
Jozi stressed that human care remains at the centre of Glencairn’s ethos but admitted that the technology had improved the ability of staff to identify pain in residents, especially those who are non-verbal or unable to communicate their discomfort.
“The most significant improvement has been a 100 per cent reduction in severe pain levels among residents since the system was introduced. For the last three months, residents have consistently reported pain or no pain,” said Jozi.
“There has been a notable reduction in stress and distress levels within residents. Residents are taking part in more activities and those with mobility issues are now going on trips they couldn’t before. Residents who required specialist support seating due to discomfort are now comfortably sitting in normal lounge chairs and participating more in the community.”
The benefits of the technology for quality of care have been highlighted in the case of one Glencairn resident who was formerly active and enjoyed walking.
Staff at the home noticed she had become withdrawn and less engaged and used the PainChek app to identify that she was in pain, despite her not being on any pain medication at the time.
Following a review with the resident and her GP, it was confirmed that she had been experiencing discomfort in her shoulder, although she had not considered it significant enough to mention.
With the introduction of appropriate analgesia, her pain was effectively managed and within a short period, the resident became more active and enthusiastic, resuming her daily outdoor walks, participating in activities, and even enjoying a short holiday with her family. Ongoing use of PainChek has consistently indicated that the resident is now pain-free.
Acknowledging that social care providers may be wary of using AI technology, Jozi said: “It’s all about empowering our residents, that’s what we’re very passionate about here.
“I think with the introduction of a tool like this, there is always a fear that it might replace an aspect of care, which absolutely is not the case. If anything, it enhances resident care but also empowers your people to remain fully involved in their care.”
At Glencairn, staff have found that the AI tool helps residents to be more closely involved in their pain management and ensures they receive the correct medication, where appropriate.
“Residents are empowered to be involved in their own pain management, able to communicate their pain and participate in assessments before medication is administered,” added Jozi. “This approach ensures they remain fully involved in their care process where possible.”
Jozi said data gathered by the app also means that accurate health information can be passed to a resident’s GP, enabling better decisions on medication, such as discontinuing unnecessary drugs or trying new approaches. “This helps build stronger, trusted bonds with GP practices,” she said.
An unexpected outcome from the trial has been a positive impact on staff.
“Morale has increased as the system supports them through what can be emotionally difficult experiences in caring for residents,” added Jozi. “Staff now have more time to participate in activities with residents beyond just clinical care.”
A spokesperson for Renaissance Care said the rollout of the app had proven “highly effective in generating pain scores, offering solid data that enables us to tailor pain interventions according to individual pain levels. Its capacity to identify pain has resulted in substantial enhancements in our care environment, bolstering resident wellbeing and improving our overall care strategies.”