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Shellie A.B. Christensen, Ph.D.

WHY DIGITAL PAIN CHARTS OF THE BODY SUPPORT CLINICIANS

Updated: Oct 19, 2021

Aglance Solutions recently launched and advanced pain tracking and mapping software Navigate Pain.  The software tool brings pain mapping to a whole new level and is used by researchers worldwide.


Pain or symptom maps help to visualize, document and track change.  Also, the tool helps start each consult on the topic - with the patient in focus.  Thus,  Navigate Pain addresses clinicians' day-to-day challenges. The software is broadly applicable, ranging from physiotherapists, neurologists, nurses and general practitioners.


Who would have guessed Navigate Pain could gather so much information about pain and symptoms.



Aglance Solutions launches the Navigate Pain software for clinical professionals. A new standard for pain tracking is emerging.

State of the art insight

When gathering information about a patient's history, some clinics, particularly physiotherapy clinics, will create a paper's pain chart. Also, most clinicians rely on written text to subsequently track pain.  Some clinics have started to use simple electronic pain drawings to indicate pain location—for example, the head, neck or back regions. 


General pain location provides little detail for physiotherapists to use their insight into anatomy and physiology.  Nor does general pain location give enough information on the origin of the pain.


A patient's pain symptoms change within a general location far more informative than pain location alone, such as pain location in the low back or knee.  Navigate Pain provides the detail for a wiser starting point.  Physiotherapists can use Navigate Pain to support reasoning and conclusions.


Navigate Pain is a new technology that provides detailed pain maps of the body.  Now we can see beyond what usually cannot be seen or described with words.


Navigate Pain is neither a replacement nor an upgrade to paper drawings or pain location tools.  Navigate Pain is a novel and innovative communication and documentation platform for pain tracking.  As a result, Navigate Pain provides a series of detailed pain charts fit for clinical professionals.


Show progress and gains differently.

One of the main struggles for physiotherapists is quantifying the progress of a patient.  Patient focus and satisfaction are essential to physiotherapists.  Thus, physiotherapists become excited and sometimes overly enthusiastic when they learn about Navigate Pain.   It is now possible to show patients the amount of progress and recovery.


Indeed, physiotherapy, like other service professions, is under pressure to improve the delivery of care.  Areas for improvement include (1) an accurate description of underlying causes, (2) a diagnosis if possible and (3) a reduction in patient anxiety and concerns.  A timely and successful resolution of symptoms is the outcome.


Navigate Pain helps physiotherapists get accurate pictures of a patient's pain symptoms.  Moreover, pain tracking is from home to clinic is possible.  As a result, physiotherapists can assess treatment progress and engage in fruitful consultations. Thus, Navigate Pain allows subsequent consults to start on the topic.  Clinicians can utilize the information on the body map to modify a treatment plan.


Aim high for patient care

For example, physiotherapists aim high for patient satisfaction—the goal – to improve a patient's well-being.  With that, they are well aware of what is essential for patients. Comfortable settings, genuine care, and an appreciation for their patient's concerns. Only then will patients return and refer their friends and family.


Patient empowerment is a big topic.  As more information becomes available to patients about their conditions, the greater the expectation becomes for documenting symptoms.  Documentation of pain is essential and ensures we listen to the patient's experience rather than our own.  Therefore tools, such as Navigate Pain, provide physiotherapists with an efficient communication strategy.


Furthermore, a large percentage of patients will encounter more than one episode of back or neck pain.  As a series of pain charts, having a patient history allows clinicians to assess and recall the patient's history quickly.  The review of patient-reported maps can reveal hidden patterns. Also, the clinician can immediately reconnect with their patient when she returns.


The uncertainty principle

It is often difficult to be sure if improvements in pain symptoms are purely the result of treatment.  It is uncertain how much success is the direct result of the consultation or consult with a physiotherapist.  There are many external factors to consider.


On average, less than 20% of patients complete their exercise plan (patients who enroll in research studies are likely to have a higher completion rate). Meaning the compliance with the 'treatment plans' can be poor. It is then worth considering which actions of the clinician were most effective? The prescribed exercises or the discussion of the pain complaints?



Furthermore,  a gap of 7 days or more between consultations can affect the accuracy of pain recall.   The brain forgets about pain.   Forgetfulness and poor memory increase uncertainty about changes in symptoms.  It is not yet customary to record the body's pain charts or use pain tracking tools between consultations.  However, the need for tracking pain is becoming more evident.


In conclusion, Navigate Pain makes tracking of pain between consults the new standard. Navigate Pain addresses gaps and uncertainties.   Moreover, Navigate Pain provides documentation and quantifies progress over the entire consultation period.


How Navigate Pain helps

Below are the benefits of  Navigate Pain. These benefits improve efficiency, patient satisfaction and documentation requirements.


Navigate Pain helps by:


  • Creating pain charts for quantifying pain areas.

  • Tracking pain intensity and detailed location over time.

  • Documenting progress or recoveryShowing a patient their improvements.

  • Minimizes time spent reviewing a patient's pain chart and history.

  • Creating an informed starting point before the first consult.

  • Providing the level of detail fitting for a physiotherapists' experience and education.

  • Improving performance by enabling an understanding of a patient's progress.

  • Giving additional insight into the variety of pain complaints and discomfort.

  • Easing sharing of patient symptoms between clinical professionals.


Tools like Navigate Pain help show improvement and are pushing patient satisfaction to the next level. The documentation and quantification of the pain charts are additional benefits. 

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